VERY DAY, ACRES OF IRREPLACEABLE HUDSON VALLEY LAND FALL PREY TO UNPLANNED DEVELOPMENT.
What is at stake? Maybe it is a unique eagle habitat, a working farm or your favorite meadow or view of the river. Development pressure is bearing down on almost every county in the valley. Our region is among the fastest-growing in the state, according to census data.
Growth is inevitable, but destruction of our working landscapes and majestic vistas -- the foundation of our future prosperity -- is not. Fed up with vanishing open space and increased taxes, longer commutes and contaminated water, communities are fighting back by funding land conservation.
NEW ALLIES BOOST CONSERVATION
Public-private conservation partnerships are not new - the state's Environmental Protection Fund has provided matching conservation grants since 1995. Hudson Valley municipalities now are following suit.
Twenty-one valley municipalities have created $118.5 million in funding for farm and open space protection since 1996, according to The Trust for Public Land. Most of these funds are in the form of voter-approved bonding. Putnam County residents are expected to vote on a $20 million bond measure this fall, and other communities are considering similar initiatives. |
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The largest land trust focused solely on the valley, Scenic Hudson has safeguarded more than 20,000 acres -- nearly 25 times the size of Central Park. Since 2003 alone we have invested $2.25 million to help close eight conservation partnership deals worth $7.5 million. These rescued lands include community treasures such as newly protected farms in the towns of Warwick and Red Hook, and the soon-to-be-created Peach Hill Park in Poughkeepsie.
Most recently our land trust teamed with the Town of Red Hook to purchase development rights to the 139-acre Oriole Orchard, also known as the Feller Farm. The purchase was made possible by a $3.5 million farmland protection bond overwhelmingly approved by Red Hook voters in 2003.
VOTES NEEDED FOR PRESERVATION ACT
Sprawl is marching up the valley. Take a few minutes to help save cherished places near you. Use our Web site, www.ScenicHudson.org, to urge your state legislators to support the Community Preservation Act.
The legislation would authorize towns in New York State to adopt, after a local referendum, a real estate transfer fee of up to 2 percent to fund land conservation.
Become an advocate for open space funding in your town. Partnering with Scenic Hudson and other land trusts can stretch tax dollars. It is critical to act now. |
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| Photos by: Above, Michael Nelson. Right, Robert McKeon. |
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