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For Conscience Sake!
7 Things to Know
About Conscience Point and
the Southampton History Museum
Recently, there is a lot of misinformation circulating about commercial shellfishing at Conscience Point Historic Site and Nature Walk, a designated landmark of Southampton Town, owned and preserved by the Southampton History Museum since 1910.
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We hope these seven points help clarify the issue:
1.
The Southampton History Museum is not just a nonprofit charity. We are chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and incorporated as an educational organization under the New York State Education Department.
Our mission is educational; thus, we cannot host commercial shellfishing on our tax-exempt land. Regular commercial activity on tax-exempt land is illegal. It would violate the terms of our charter and jeopardize both our state and federal nonprofit status. If we lose our charter and nonprofit status, the museum’s entire existence is at risk.
Like other chartered museums, our revenue is modestly supplemented by noncharitable income, including our Gift Shop and rentals for private events. In 2024, the Southampton History Museum’s noncharitable income comprised less than 2% of our revenue. More than 98% of our revenue comes from public and charitable sources, including donations, grants, and voter-approved funding from the residents of the Southampton Union Free School District. Experts advise limiting noncharitable income to a small percentage of a nonprofit’s annual revenue to avoid losing its tax-exempt status.
2.
The hatchery at Conscience Point was created to support and educate about shellfish restoration only.
The Southampton History Museum granted the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery a rent-free lease based upon our agreement that their charitable work was solely to support and educate about shellfish restoration.
Originally, the hatchery at Conscience Point was created for limited use by the Sea Scouts, a program of the Boy Scouts of America, to foster education and support for restoring critical marine ecosystems in North Sea Harbor and Peconic Bay. All shellfish raised by the Sea Scouts were to be donated to the Southampton Town Trustees for restoring wild shellfish populations, especially oyster reefs.
Unfortunately, the hatchery became increasingly focused on raising shellfish for purposes other than restoration, including sales to restaurants, private clubs, wholesalers, consumers, and for-profit growers. Our land was wrongfully sublet to commercial businesses. Applications were submitted to the Town of Southampton and other agencies–without our approval–to further develop our land for commercial activities.
Commercial shellfishing is not the same as shellfish restoration. We are compelled to terminate this lease and stop the unauthorized commercial uses. We had no choice but to protect our organization by ensuring our land is used in compliance with federal and state law and our mission to preserve the historic assets under our stewardship.
3.
The Southampton History Museum maintains an active rent-free lease with the Southampton Town Trustees enabling Town residents to access the boat/kayak launch at Conscience Point Historic Site & Nature Walk in accordance with Town rules and regulations.
This extraordinary agreement has provided public access to privately owned waterfront land since the 1980s. It's a noteworthy public-private partnership made possible by a strong working relationship. We’re committed to our longstanding collaboration with the Town Trustees to preserve and restore natural resources at Conscience Point while continuing to provide waterfront access for Town residents.
4.
The Southampton History Museum has always supported efforts to preserve marine ecosystems in North Sea Harbor and Peconic Bay, especially fostering the regrowth of oyster beds.
We view the preservation of historic sites and natural resources as complementary, not mutually exclusive. Through research and educational initiatives, we look to foster an understanding of the significance of shellfishing to Southampton’s history, as well as the critical importance of oyster reef restoration and other environmental initiatives to the health and sustainability of the water that has been so central to that history. Most recently, in fact, we worked with Peconic Baykeeper to install a chronolog station at Conscience Point to monitor environmental changes through the use of time-lapse photography. We will continue to support such education, research, and restoration efforts, which are fully in keeping with our mission.
5.
Conscience Point is an important part of our museum and its collections, and must be preserved.
Conscience Point Historic Site and Nature Walk commemorates one of the most consequential events in our shared past: the landing of the first English settlers in New York State in 1640 and the unimaginable changes that followed their arrival. The site also commemorates the stories and contributions of those who first encountered these settlers, the Shinnecock people, whose ancestors had lived here for thousands of years before the landing. We all must strive to fully understand this history and its enduring legacies, from the perspectives of both the settlers who sought to claim the land, and the Native Americans from whom it was taken. As with all artifacts in our collection, the land at Conscience Point brings history to life and enhances understanding of our shared past.
6.
Our museum charter is the reason we are eligible to seek funding from the residents of the Southampton Union Free School District via an annual ballot measure voted on by residents.
Everything we do is made possible by the generous support of our community. Each year, district residents vote to support vital funding for the Southampton History Museum. This public funding comprises a signficant portion of our operating budget and exclusively supports our charitable mission-based work. It does not support other organizations that may lease our land, such as the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, which is a separate organization that is not chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.
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Loss of this funding would be catastrophic for the children, families, seniors, students, researchers, and so many others who visit the museum and enjoy our numerous events and programs year-round. Without this funding, our beloved local historic sites and buildings may close. Access to our archives and collections may be limited as our staff face reduced hours, or possibly layoffs. Plans to invest in restoration projects would be cancelled, such as increasing ADA accessibility, expanding our collections storage capacity, or updating our exhibition spaces. We would be unable to offer free school programs for K-12 groups, or free exhibitions and public programs for adults and families.
Although we cannot host commercial shellfishing without jeopardizing our status as a chartered museum and educational organization, we welcome ideas for new charitable educational programs at all our historic sites, including the Conscience Point Historic Site and Nature Walk.
7.
We are not against anyone.
Through our collections, historic sites, and programs, we seek to bring all community members together to foster a mutual understanding of our shared history and culture. We will continue to listen and collaborate with those who seek to help us preserve, protect, and restore the historic and natural resources at Conscience Point.
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