Downs Farm Preserve

The site of a former Native American Fort, which stood in the 1600s, this preserve is listed on the National Park Register of Historic Places. Remnants of the fort can be seen at the 51-acre wooded parcel in Cutchogue. The preserve features miles of hiking trails along the tidal wetlands of Downs Creek. Local vintner Russ McCall, who began planting pinot noir and merlot grapes at McCall's Farm Vineyard next door in 1996, helped preserve the land through development rights deals with Southold Town and the Peconic Land Trust in the early 1990s.  The Downs Farm Preserve is a significant natural and historic resource that encompasses a Native American fort site, scenic woodlands and tidal wetlands.