2008 Annual Report and Summer 2009 Newsletter - Columbia Land ...

ANNUAL REPORT | 2008
2008 | ANNUAL REPORT
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
I’m very pleased to present with this issue of the
Conservancy News the Columbia Land Conservancy’s
2008 Annual Report– a year we experienced some
tremendous successes and, like
everyone else, some disappointments,
as well.
There were many achievements.
We completed and adopted
a thoughtful and thorough
strategic plan to guide us over
the next three to five years; we
initiated an in-depth analysis of
Columbia County’s conservation
attributes and values (which are,
as everyone knows, abundant
beyond measure); we put in place
a program to deepen our work in
support of good land use planning;
we opened the 233-acre
Schor Conservation Area in
Canaan; we provided outdoor
educational experiences to 3,700
children and adults; and we
crossed the 20,000 acre mark of private lands voluntarily
protected with conservation easements.
There were also some big challenges. The economic
turmoil that struck toward the end of the year took
a heavy toll. Losses to our endowment and reserve
resources required that we dramatically reduce our
operating budget for 2009. The
downturn has at the same time substantially
reduced the availability of
foundation support; and the State’s
budget crisis has resulted in delays
on several transactions we’ve been
counting on for much needed capital
infusions. For the first time in our
history, we were compelled to reduce
our staff, and those who remain have
taken a cut in pay and benefits. We
operate this year under a budget that
can only be described as austere. But
all of our program initiatives remain
in play, and our tremendous staff is as
hard-working and enthusiastic as ever.
All in all, we are pleased and proud
of our accomplishments in 2008 and
confident we have laid the groundwork
for a new and productive
Michael Polemis
chapter in the Conservancy’s life. We are very grateful
for your interest, encouragement and support.
Strategic plan
A major focus of 2008 was the completion and publication
of a new five-year plan that sets a course for
CLC’s third decade. CLC’s board and staff worked
with Linda London, of London Associates, for more
than a year to complete a comprehensive assessment
of our mission, programs and future role in the
community. The plan ensures CLC will be working
strategically and effectively to accomplish our mission:
to work with communities to conserve the
farmland, forests, wildlife habitat and rural character
of Columbia County, strengthening connections
between people and the land.
1) Develop a Strategic Conservation Plan
In 2008 we began developing a Strategic
Conservation Plan that will include a comprehensive
natural resources inventory for Columbia
County in a Geographic Information System (GIS)
database. The inventory will be available to municipalities
and community groups for use in their
land planning and conservation efforts. The plan
will help us prioritize CLC’s conservation objectives
with specific project selection, acquisition and
management criteria for each program. This work
was supported in part by a New York Conservation
Partnership Program grant administered by the
Land Trust Alliance.
2) Strengthen and Promote the Farm Community
Agriculture has been a defining factor in shaping
Columbia County’s landscapes, community character
and conservation values. CLC views the support
of agriculture as a central conservation strategy.
In 2008 we continued to assist farmers in Ancram,
New Lebanon, and Taghkanic working with the New
York State Farmland Protection Program and we
began developing a new program designed to foster
connections between people who own farmland and
farmers looking to expand their operations. (See
page 3). We updated and reissued the Farm and
Forest Landowners Bulletin, worked with three towns,
Ancram, Chatham, and Taghkanic to prepare applications
for state assistance for municipal farmland
protection plans and worked to encourage the
County Farmland Protection Board to prepare a
county-wide farmland protection plan.
ties to identify and implement their conservation
goals. Last year, CLC worked with a number of
communities, including Ancram, Chatham, Ghent,
Greenport, Hudson, Kinderhook, Stuyvesant, and
Taghkanic, providing varying levels of support to
their efforts with comprehensive planning,
farmland protection plans, creating new trails and
parks and considering conservation development
proposals.
4) Engage the Community
CLC is taking a more active role in communities to
increase public awareness of our work in support
of conservation, agriculture, and good land use
practices. Last year, our staff made presentations to
the Chamber of Commerce, the County Farmland
Protection Board, the Board of Supervisors, and
numerous other local groups and organizations.
We also had a presence at community days in
Chatham, Hillsdale, and Philmont and began sponsoring
a girl’s softball team through the Chatham
Little League. Our exhibition at the County Fair
won best of class, and our store front windows
attracted favorable attention for their informative
and whimsical content.
5) Increase Our Organizational Capacity to
Accomplish Our Mission To accomplish these strategic
goals, CLC needs to maximize all of our resources
- our staff, our board and our financial position.
CLC is committed to following the best practices in
governance, finance and administration, providing a
productive work environment for our staff and
strengthening our financial resources. To this end,
we began the process of obtaining full accreditation
from the Land Trust Alliance.
2 0 0 8 H I G H L I G H T S
CLC maintains 7 properties for public use, holds conservation easements on over 20,000 acres, and provides free programs to
3,700 children and adults.
3) Promote Good Land Use Policies and Practices
In order to strengthen CLC’s capacity as a planning
resource to municipalities and community groups,
CLC hired Ellen Jouret-Epstein as a Land Protection
Manager. Jouret-Epstein is working with communities
seeking to promote good planning and development
practices. As a licensed landscape architect
experienced with community planning, Ellen has
the technical expertise to assist municipal governments
in the planning arena and to assist communi-
CLC’s county-wide natural resources inventory will aid
conservation efforts.
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