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Scenic Hudson Protects Two Critical Columbia County Farm and Forest Properties

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Riley Johndonnell, Director of Communications & Creative Strategies
845 473 4440 Ext. 222, rjohndonnell@scenichudson.org

Steepletop (Photo: Emily Stern / Courtesy of ScenicHudson.org)

HUDSON VALLEY – Conserving important farmland and forests and safeguarding the historical significance of the Hudson Valley, Scenic Hudson recently worked with partners and private landowners to protect 600 acres across two properties in Columbia County. Both are part of an important belt of climate-resilient forests and farmlands connecting the Catskills to the Berkshires, and are now protected with permanent conservation restrictions known as conservation easements.

Preserving Vital History and Habitats

Steepletop is the historic home and grounds of Edna St. Vincent Millay, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, novelist, playwright, and activist who died in 1950. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971, the buildings and trails on the 200-acre site in Austerlitz have been mostly closed to the public since 2019. Scenic Hudson hopes that this new conservation easement will put Steepletop on a path toward greater public access in the future. This highly scenic property also has immense ecological value. Consisting of farm fields, mixed northern hardwood forest, and wetlands, it is the largest private property surrounded by the Harvey Mountain State Forest and part of a contiguous 4,000-plus acre block of state land. Important native species on the property include rare butterflies, multiple bird species, transient moose, bobcats, and fishers.

The Steepletop conservation easement was made possible with a vital new source of conservation funding from the NYS Department of Conservation (NYSDEC) and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). The new Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) grant program focuses on protecting climate-resilient, forested, private lands to protect water quality, build wildlife corridors, strengthen biodiversity, and expand recreation opportunities.

Supporting Farms and Food for Life

Christiana Family Farmland (Photo: Amber Knowles / Courtesy of ScenicHudson.org

Nearby, Scenic Hudson also protected 400 prime foodshed acres in a designated agricultural district in the Town of Taghkanic; these lands have been used as a working farm since at least 1858. Albert Christiana, who has lived on the property his entire life and has been stewarding the property since the 1950s, is now the sole owner. He had been concerned about the decline of open space in the Hudson Valley, and says now that the farm is saved he can breathe a sigh of relief. Lyn Main, who protected the 300-acre Berkshire Valley Dairy farm in Copake with Scenic Hudson and partners in 2020, leases part of the property to grow hay and other crops. The property includes over 180 acres of forest, while approximately 57 acres of freshwater wetlands drain into the Taghkanic Creek, contributing to the City of Hudson’s drinking water supply.

Both the heavily-forested Christiana and Steepletop properties have considerable carbon sequestration potential, meaning the trees absorb damaging carbon dioxide from the air.

Quotes

“The conservation of these two distinctive Columbia County properties is welcome and exciting news. Both Steepletop, once home to poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and the Christiana family farm, are unique properties with both historic and environmental value and are emblematic of the Hudson Valley’s rich cultural history and deep agricultural roots,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett. “I thank Scenic Hudson for their continued efforts to preserve and protect important open space in our region.”

Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan said: “We are grateful for Governor Kathy Hochul’s visionary leadership and commitment to land conservation that has made possible protection of Steepletop, the home and gardens of one of the 20th century’s most iconic female cultural figures. We thank the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Land Trust Alliance for their partnership in this creative transaction enabled by the new Forest Conservation Easement Program. Permanent preservation of the nearby Christiana land achieves multiple goals: conserving a vital family farm, clean drinking water, and sustaining the inspirational beauty and health of the region.”

“Conserving the Christiana property will forever safeguard these working lands for farmers. And with 60 acres of wetlands, and nearly a mile of the Taghkanic Creek, it will help ensure clean drinking water for thousands of people living in the City of Hudson,” said Seth McKee, Executive Director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. “The protection of Steepletop means future generations may now experience the same beautiful unfragmented, forested and agricultural landscape that inspired Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. We applaud the NYSDEC and the LTA for this innovative new funding source that adds significant new public resources for conservation in New York State.”

“The Steepletop project is a wonderful example of how public-private partnerships increase the impact of conservation,” said Jamie Brown, New York Senior Program Manager for the Land Trust Alliance. “The Alliance and NYSDEC were able to provide support through the FCELT program to help Scenic Hudson protect this critical and historic property. Together, we are able to do so much more.”

“We are excited to be in partnership with Scenic Hudson in the protection of Steepletop,” said Vincent Barnett, President of the Millay Society. “This is an important milestone for The Millay Society in our continuing efforts to protect and preserve Edna St. Vincent Millay’s home, land, and legacy.”