new york (12382) conservation (2449) ecosystem (282) peconic (8) goldsmith inlet (1)
Goldsmith Inlet is a unique and important ecosystem on Long Island Sound in Peconic, New York, part of the Town of Southold. The ecosystem includes Goldsmith Inlet itself, the channel into the Inlet from the Sound, Autumn Pond, the County Park, the Town Beach and the land surrounding these water bodies. Due to a lack of overall protection and management oversight Goldsmith Inlet is rapidly becoming an environmental disaster.
The Group to Save Goldsmith Inlet (GSGI) was established to help create and implement a management plan to restore the health and safety of Goldsmith Inlet.
Historically, Goldsmith Inlet was vibrant and healthy, supporting a wide range of wildlife. There were thriving populations of hard and soft shell clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, eels, blue claw crabs, winter flounder spawning and a wide variety of plant life. Native grasses were abundant and harvested by local farmers. The tidal flow was strong, flushing pollutants and debris from the Inlet. Sand did not accumulate.