Occupying 102,500 acres (approx. 41,482 hectares), the Central Pine
Barrens of New York State
lies in east central Suffolk County,
at the intersection of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton Towns.
The eastern Central Pine Barrens contains a large portion of the Peconic
River system,
and connects with the Peconic
National Estuary where the Peconic River flows into Flanders Bay.
The southwesterly Central Pine Barrens contains the Carman's River system,
and connects with the South
Shore Estuary Reserve (see also the separate SSER
Council page) where the Carmans River empties into Bellport Bay.
Immediately north of the Central Pine Barrens, and Long Island's North
Shore, lies the Long Island
Sound Study Area,
another National Estuary Program
site, which is jointly operated by Federal, New York, and Connecticut organizations.