Members of the Friends of Edgewood Preserve, Sid Cherry and Patricia Burkhart, recently presented a clock to Senator Owen H. Johnson to thank him for years of support and for helping to protect the Oak Brush Plains. Senator Johnson created the Oak Brush Plain State Preserve in 1987 from a portion of the former Pilgrim State Hospital property.
The Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve is now a state-owned, 843-acre nature preserve, situated within the towns of Babylon, Huntington and Islip. The preserve is the second largest remnant of pitch-pine scrub oak habitat in all of New York State, and is the largest natural wildlife corridor in Western Suffolk County. It is home to a wide array of migratory birds and a variety of wildlife, including red fox, rabbits, chipmunks, possum, voles, moles, toads, snakes, box turtles, and owls.
