Mecox Bay and its tributaries comprise a vital ecological system containing abundant shellfish, fin-fish and waterfowl, including two endangered bird species. Mecox Bay is a fragile brackish marine environment consisting of 1,100 acres of surface waters surrounded by approximately 300 residential waterfront property owners, several commercial businesses and large tracts of farmland. It is a recreational resource for boaters, kite surfers, paddle boarders and swimmers as well as a source of income for bay-men. Mecox Bay, like many other surface water bodies, has been adversely impacted by pollution, largely from nitrogen contamination originating in the sanitary discharge from thousands of homes within the Mecox Bay watershed.

THE MECOX BAY WATERSHED

Mecox Bay Components and Tributaries include: Mecox Bay, Philips Pond, Little Jule Pond, Jule Pond, Channel Pond, Burnett Creek, Little Burnett Creek, Meyers Creek, Mill Creek, Mill Pond, Flax Pond, Mud Creek, Hayground Cove, Calf Creek, Kellis Pond, Swan Creek, Sam’s Creek

THE "CUT"

Mecox Bay is a managed Salt Pond where the sandbar separating the main water body from the ocean is periodically mechanically opened to allow bay water to exchange with ocean water. The opening is known historically as the “Cut”. The “Cut” has been managed since pre-colonial times by the indigenous people of the region, and for the past 300 years by Southampton Town Trustees who own the bay bottomland. MBC works closely with the Southampton Town Trustees, the Southampton Town Board, the Stony Brook School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SOMAS), the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, the US Depart of Fish and Wildlife, and other agencies and stakeholders to advance the long-term ecological health of Mecox Bay and its watershed. MBC advocates for proper funding for management of “the cut” in accordance with the Mecox Bay Management Plan. MBC seeks to build a strong sense of community responsibility for the health of Mecox Bay among all its users and stakeholders.