Northwest Alliance History
The Northwest Alliance was first formed in the early 1980’s by a group of concerned citizens whose goal was the preservation of two large parcels of unoccupied land in the Northwest section of East Hampton, Long Island, The Grace Estate, and Barcelona Neck. Development was rapidly changing the natural character of the area and subdivision applications for both areas were pending. The group, which consisted of Cathy and Tom Lester, Helena Curtis, Arnold Leo, and Stuart Vorpahl, among many others, succeeded in guiding the public acquisition of both parcels, for a total of over 1000 acres. The land acquisition provided protection of the western side of Northwest Creek and considerable expanse of the southeastern shore of Northwest Harbor.
In 1993, the Alliance responded to the apparent degradation of the water quality in Northwest Creek in the years following the Brown Tides of the mid-1980’s. The extensive eelgrass beds that had provided the matrix for a vital marine nursery had all but disappeared and the overall vitality of the Creek was in decline. Using the name The Northwest Creek Task Force, the group successfully pressed for a resumption of dredging of the Creek inlet, which, it was hoped, would improve water quality by increasing the tidal flush of the Creek. Dredging was indeed resumed in 1995 and has continued approximately every three years since that time.
In 2003, the Alliance, under the leadership of Jim Matthews, a resident of Northwest Landing Road, expanded its involvement in protection of the Northwest area. Through participation in the meetings of the Community Preservation Fund Committee, the Harbor Management Committee of the East Hampton Trustees, and with membership in the Suffolk Country Vector Control and East Hampton Citizens Action Committee, the group became a significant voice in local and regional discussions of environmental policy.
In 2007, the Alliance, in collaboration with Town Board Member, Brad Loewen and former Town Planning Department Head, Lisa Liquori, established the Town chartered Northwest Comprehensive Coordinating Committee (NCCC) which brought together all the governmental and private organizations with purview in the Northwest Creek area. Because of the many overlapping jurisdictions, it became necessary to schedule regular meetings for identifying areas of mutual concern and coordinating solutions. Jim Matthews, who is also Chair of the Northwest Alliance, has chaired the NCCC since its inception.
The Alliance continues to actively engage in environmental issues that affect the Northwest Creek and surrounds. It monitors water quality, wildlife, dredging, East Hampton airport noise, public land acquisition, public access and use, relevant town, county and state environmental policies and helps maintain public engagement and representation in government policies that affect the health of the area.
We welcome John Goldman, a resident of Northwest Landing Road, as chair of the Northwest Alliance in 2026.
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John Goldman, Chair
jgoldman@bhsusa.com
