Forests & Fields Preserved on the West Slope of Clove Mountain

We are thrilled to announce that the DLC finished its 40^th Anniversary year in 2025 with the permanent protection of 309 acres at risk of intense development in an area with three-acre zoning. The property makes up part of the western slope of Clove Mountain, the top of which reaches nearly 1,400 feet in elevation and marks the high point in the Town of Union Vale. The easement will protect viewsheds of the Taconic, Shawangunk, and Catskill Mountains in addition to a number of towns west of the property. Owned by Charles Bich, the preserved property safeguards hundreds of acres of bountiful forests and fields that provide a rich habitat for wildlife and native species. The protection of the property also preserves a section of Jackson Creek, part of the Fishkill Creek watershed, an important Hudson River tributary. Charles’ commitment to land conservation epitomizes the many ways in which protecting our integral forested lands and vital clean water benefits our communities and ensures the future of sensitive ecosystems. Land conservation is a choice that landowners make about why and how they want to protect their property. Charles’ donation of a conservation easement will have a lasting impact on our region’s ecological health, both now and in the future.

A large portion of the property is comprised of former agricultural land that is dominated by early successional forest that Charles has already started to restore into native meadows, providing critical habitat for numerous vulnerable species. More than 90% of eastern U.S. native grasslands have been lost since European settlement, according to the National Park Service. The woods are dominated by hardwoods like oaks, hickories, maples, and birches, along with stands of coniferous trees such as white pine and eastern redcedar. Among the many animals that make their homes here are black bears, bobcats, many hawk and songbird species, snakes and turtles, and a wide variety of amphibians. Additionally, these are prime foraging grounds for threatened native bats such as the Indiana Bat and the Northern Long-Eared Bat. Clove Mountain is the southern terminus of the Taconic Mountains, a chain of mountains that stretches north into Vermont and was formed roughly 460 million years ago, and is composed primarily of highly resistant metamorphic rocks like schists, slates, and quartzites.

Since 1985, the DLC has been honored to partner with hundreds of landowners to conserve more than 48,000 acres of our beloved countryside and crucial natural resources. The commitment of so many to preserving and stewarding the world around us is inspiring and a reason for us all to celebrate the powerful spirit of land conservation in Dutchess County and the Hudson Valley.