2008 in Review: Partnerships Lead to Victories in our Ambitious Land Campaign

In the first year of our campaign to Save the Land That Matters Most 2,600 acres of critically important landscapes throughout the Hudson Valley have been permanently protected.

We acquired 102 wooded acres on Mount Merino as part of a longstanding collaborative project to permanently protect the breathtaking views from Olana.Ted Spiegel

The Saving the Land That Matters Most campaign that we launched last year is the most ambitious collaborative land-conservation initiative in Hudson Valley history. Through the unique partnership of local, regional and national land trusts as well as governments, businesses and individuals, we've pledged to safeguard 65,000 acres that meet the highest standards for scenic, ecological and agricultural importance.

Partners work together to protect scenic lands in Putnam, Columbia and Dutchess counties

Partnership victories achieved this year include:

• Permanent protection of Watergrass Sanctuary in the Town of Philipstown, Putnam County, by Scenic Hudson, the Hudson Highlands Land Trust and the Putnam Highlands Audubon Society. Located in the heart of the Hudson Highlands, these 48 acres of forest and wetland are visible from several state parks and popular public viewpoints across the Hudson River.
• Acquisition by Scenic Hudson of 102 wooded acres on Mount Merino near Hudson, Columbia County, building on prior conservation projects by the Columbia Land Conservancy on this prominent landmark adjacent to the Olana State Historic Site. This transaction brings to 1,248 acres the breathtaking landscapes viewed from Olana -- one of the region's most popular tourist attractions -- that Scenic Hudson has safeguarded since 1992.
• Opening of the Roosevelt Farm Lane in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, by the National Park Service. This vital link between Franklin Roosevelt's home and library and Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill passes through 334 acres protected by Scenic Hudson in 2004 to prevent construction of a big-box development. The organization transferred the wooded property to the National Park Service last year in what the U.S. Secretary of the Interior called "the most important expansion of the FDR National Historic Site that will ever happen."

Partners save 18 parcels totaling 960 acres

Land-conservation organizations partnered with Scenic Hudson to Save the Land That Matters Most are Audubon New York; Columbia Land Conservancy; Dutchess Land Conservancy; Esopus Creek Conservancy; Greene Land Trust; The Highlands Coalition; Hudson Highlands Land Trust; Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy; The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter; New York-New Jersey Trail Conference; Open Space Institute; Orange County Land Trust; Trust for Public Land, New York State; Wallkill Valley Land Trust; Westchester Land Trust and Winnakee Land Trust.

Since the Saving the Land That Matters Most campaign began, these organizations have completed 18 transactions protecting approximately 960 acres. The safeguarded lands include:

• 320 forested acres along the Hudson River prominently visible from Olana -- protected by the Trust for Public Land and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
• 19 acres of scenic Hudson riverfront abutting Clermont State Historic Site in Columbia County -- conserved by the Winnakee Land Trust.
• 76 acres buffering Crum Elbow Creek in Hyde Park across Route 9 from the Vanderbilt National Historic Site -- preserved by the Dutchess Land Conservancy.