Orient Beach State Park is a 363 acre state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 located in the Town of Southold in Suffolk County

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in the USA. The park is at the tip of the North Fork

North Fork, Suffolk County, New York

The North Fork is a 30-mile-long peninsula in the northeast part of Suffolk County, New York, roughly parallel with an even longer peninsula known as the South Fork...

 of Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

.

Long Beach, located in the park was designated a National Natural Landmark

National Natural Landmark

The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...

 in April 1980 for its 2.5 miles (4 km) sand spit beach demonstrating plant succession from salt marsh to maritime red cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Juniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...

 forest.

The Orient Long Beach Bar Light

Orient Long Beach Bar Light

Orient Long Beach Bar Light is a lighthouse off Orient, New York. It is interesting because it was originally a screwpile lighthouse that was later converted to concrete caisson foundation. Its early appearance as a screwpile lighhouse gave it the nickname "Bug Light" as there were no other such...

 commonly known as the Bug lighthouse is located inside the park.

Recreation

Orient Beach is open throughout the year for day-use only.

The park offers a beach, picnic tables with pavilions, a playground, recreation programs, a nature trail, hiking and biking (rentals available), fishing and a food concession.

Access to boats

In 1997, park rangers began enforcing an existing no boating policy on Long Beach in order to preserve the environment. which led to controversy and arrests in 2000.

Flora and fauna

There is a common

Common Tern

The Common Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes...

 and roseate tern

Roseate Tern

The Roseate Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in bill colour and minor plumage details....

 nesting area in the park. There are also eelgrass

Zostera

Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called marine eelgrass or simply eelgrass . The genus Zostera contains sixteen species.-Ecology:Zostera is found on sandy substrates or in estuaries submerged or partially floating...

beds offshore.

External links

• New York State Parks: Orient Beach State Park

41.12937°N 72.2664°W