Benefits of Conservation

“The land is a gift to us. The quiet walks we are able to take with no planes in the skies or cars on the roads. The silence that brought the wildlife to the fore of our consciousness as we meander along a path in the woods. The chance to see spring awaken with agonizing slowness, and the chorus of spring peepers. To watch the “knee high by the fourth of July” corn struggle with the lack of rain. To stop by a local farm market and experience the joy of undeniable freshness. To kayak in a pond where you can see the bottom. To drink from a stream where the water is clear. To experience the ferocity of summer storms as mother nature renews the land’s soul. To enjoy the last warmth of the sun in what turns out to be a beautiful fall, with trees painted in various hues. All of this comes from the land.

In the Hudson Valley everything ebbs and flows. Our land is timeless and transcends real estate cycles. It binds us socially. Our responsibility to preserve the land has only grown as communities around us on Long Island, in Westchester and proximate to the Hudson River have succumbed to pressure and made development decisions that have irrevocably altered the landscape.

This land is a privilege, and it our responsibility to steward it well. Land that has been preserved provides watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and healthy forests. Preserved land protects our agricultural heritage, promotes our economy with agritourism, and ensures our patchwork quilt views. But most of all, land that has been forever conserved nourishes our souls in times of need. We are all beneficiaries of the land.”