East Hampton mayor says he’s building a regional coalition to protect and promote Mount Tom

Mayor Salem Derby told E Media he is working with neighboring mayors and conservation partners to raise Mount Tom’s profile as both a recreational and conservation asset.

"The mayor of Holio and myself are working on putting together a coalition of partners to really kind of promote and ... elevate the conservation of Mount Tom," Derby said, naming partners including the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Kestrel Land Trust and the Trustees of Reservations.

Derby described Mount Tom as a regional asset with protected species and important bird migrations, and said the coalition would bring together conservation and recreation stakeholders to coordinate messaging and stewardship.

He positioned this work as complementary to tourism and events planning—arguing that promoting trails and protected parcels will boost visitor use while emphasizing conservation.

No formal agreements, funding amounts or timelines for the proposed coalition were announced on the program.