Trees, Greens & Nature Trail

Street view with large trees, sidewalk, grassy area, and parked cars in the background during daytime.
A tall tree with a thick trunk and lush green leaves, viewed from below against a clear blue sky.
A historic wooden windmill with four blades stands in a park during spring. The area is grassy with numerous yellow dandelions, surrounded by leafless and budding trees, and a few buildings and flagpoles nearby.
A memorial with several flags on poles, including the American flag, set on a grassy area with a concrete platform, and a windmill structure stands in the background among trees under a partly cloudy sky.
Four children standing at the edge of a pond, feeding ducks and geese, surrounded by green trees.
A group of ducks swimming in a body of water with ripples and reflections, some ducks are orange and white, others are mostly white with orange beaks.
A man and a boy feeding ducks by a river, with a swan in the background and leafless trees along the riverbank.
A narrow dirt pathway winding through a lush green forest with tall trees and dense foliage, light filtering through the leaves.
A woman walking down a narrow dirt path through a lush, green forest with dense foliage overhead.

The Trees of East Hampton Define our Village.

A large green tree with a wide canopy in a park, with a path and benches nearby, under an overcast sky.

We are graced by the lush greenery of our stately trees – from tree-lined streets to the trees surrounding Town Pond.

Majestic and gigantic trees are one of the most prominent features seen when entering our Village. Our tree environment is ever-changing and we must take care to keep our trees as healthy and as stunning as when the pioneering ladies of the LVIS first planted them. That is our mission. Click here to read an article about the LVIS tree program.

How do we maintain our tree-rich environment?

The LVIS works with East Hampton Village to care for over 3,500 existing trees and to plant new ones. It is likely one of the oldest private-public tree programs in the United States. Learn more:

  • From April through October Tree Committee members tend to tree plaques throughout the Village and clean tree enclosures along Main Street and Newtown Lane. Along the way, these observant ladies are able to provide eyes on the ground as they work among Village trees, reporting any trees that look distressed and following up with necessary treatment.

  • New street trees planted are organically treated by a local landscaping company for three consecutive years.

  • The LVIS will replace any Village street trees that have died. Dead or downed trees are replaced with a variety of species, including lindens, London planes, sawtooth oaks and numerous disease-resistant elms.

  • In the early 1950’s, the LVIS began a vigorous battle against Dutch elm disease (DED) which was devastating elm trees throughout the country. Today the LVIS, in partnership with the Village, watches over 120 elm trees in consultation with Cornell University. Village elms are treated yearly.

  • The LVIS Tree Committee currently maintains approximately 700 Village memorial plaques. For more information and to inquire about Memorial Tree Plaques, please click here.

East Hampton’s Village Greens

East Hampton Village Greens Bio Swale- photo credit Jeff Heatley - AAQ 
Photo credit Jeff Heatley / AAQ

LVIS has been maintaining our Village Greens since 1907 in a unique public-private partnership with the Village.

We are in charge of the mowing, irrigation and organic care for all the greens on Main Street, from the town pond and the flagpole area to the Hook Mill Memorial and the large open space at the beginning of Pantigo Road. A significant part of our budget goes toward this community program.

A green grassy field filled with numerous yellow dandelions, with a windmill structure in the background and trees with sparse leaves under a clear blue sky.
A peaceful park scene with a canal, green trees on both sides, and ducks swimming in the water.

The Nature Trail

A tranquil scene of a narrow path running alongside a river in a wooded area during winter, with leafless trees, patches of snow, and a small wooden bridge crossing the river.

While not officially a sanctuary, we like to think of The Nature Trail as a safe haven for our precious wildlife.

The wildlife that return year after year know that it is here they are protected, wanted and appreciated by generations of villagers. It is our privilege to support this rich tradition.

In the heart of the most prime acreage in the Village of East Hampton lies the woodsy 24-acre Nature Trail, or the “Duck Pond” as it is affectionately known. The LVIS is proud to support this revered spot, and the Nature Trail Committee is always welcoming to new nature-loving members.  Now a 12-person committee, we put the care and feeding of all of our diverse waterfowl and birds at the forefront of our responsibility. It is in the most frigid months of winter, as well as days of deluge or snow, that our now nearly domesticated ducks need us the most. We encourage nutritional feeding (poultry feed, cracked corn) and try to dissuade tossing of commercial bread products, especially bagels, into the water. 

The Duck Pond lies in an area of Hook Pond, locally known as the ‘dreen’, which never fully freezes over and thus we have a year-round, ever-growing population of waterfowl.  

We are especially proud of the proliferation of wood ducks (the most dramatic and colorful) in the past few seasons since special nesting boxes have been installed to encourage them.

Although the Nature Trail has a purposefully wild and effortless look, the LVIS – in conjunction with the Garden Club of East Hampton – provides for seasonal maintenance of the trails, while East Hampton Village oversees general preservation and protection.

A little history…

The Nature Trail was once a magnificent private Japanese garden. Mrs. Mary Woodhouse, the garden’s originator and keeper at the beginnings of the 20th century, had very romantic notions that included gently arching bright red bridges, a thatched-roof teahouse and her own red boat for getting around named ‘The Swamp Angel’. The smaller garden and surrounds were opened to the public in the 1940’s and the first eight acres were given to the Village in 1951 by Mrs. Woodhouse.

Our resident waterfowl were introduced at this time. The adjacent 16 acres were eventually donated to the Village by the generous neighbors surrounding Mrs. Woodhouse’s garden. Today the Nature Trail totals 23.92 acres and is home to many paths, myriad benches, 25 charming wooden footbridges and a much-beloved shrine to St. Francis.

A group of ducks and a swan near a riverbank, with some ducks swimming in the water and others standing on the sandy shore, and a fallen tree in the background.
A turtle resting on rocks near a body of water.
A dirt trail winding through a lush, green forest with tall trees and dense foliage, sunlight filtering through the leaves.
A young duckling walking on a gravel path among scattered yellow and white food pellets.
A detailed map of a wildlife park with various animal habitats and paths, including water features, marsh areas, and bridges, showing the visitor's current location and labeled walking lanes.