Spring 2008 - Columbia Land Conservancy

CONSERVANCY NEWS/SPRING/SUMMER/2008
SPRING/SUMMER/2008/CONSERVANCY NEWS
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R
As this issue of the CLC
Newsletter prominently
features our work with the
farm community, Board
Chair Michael Polemis
has graciously yielded his
regular column to me, cochair
of CLC’s Agricultural
Committee. Included in
this issue are descriptions
of two projects to ensure
the continued availability
for agricultural use of two
Jean-Paul Courtens
long-time family operated
farms (see pp.6-7). There is also a brief description of
our commitment to be supportive of a strong and
healthy agricultural sector as a central component of
our newly adopted strategic plan.
Farming in Columbia County today is active, energetic
and diverse. While the most obvious result of all
this activity may be the food and fiber products that
are created and agriculture’s important role as a centerpiece
of the local economy, the working farms also
define the landscape.
Our farmers act as stewards and play an active role
in creating the strong sense of place shared by all of
us who live here. Agriculture is a key part, if not the
key part, of why Columbia County looks the way it
does today. Agriculture is one of the many ways people
interact with the land. Most farmers in Columbia
County are excellent stewards of their land. While
our farmers manage productive and high quality
In This Issue:
operations, they do so in a way that maintains open
vistas and a pastoral landscape. At the same time,
actively farmed properties provide a safe and healthy
environment for highly diverse plant and animal
ecosystems. These unique features are precious; they
are not inevitable, and they should not be taken for
granted. At CLC we support agriculture for all of the
above reasons.
CLC has been working for many years to create
awareness of the importance of agriculture for our
county. We will continue to do so, and will work
even harder to ensure that agriculture gets the
support it needs from the community in order to
flourish. While our farmers and farms are strong,
access to services as well as to land remains a challenge.
Today, land is starting to pass from farming
to non-farming landowners. CLC has strong ties to
both groups, and we hope to help create mutually
beneficial connections between them. It will be
important for the entire community not only to
support the idea of farming, but to understand and
actively support policies and practices that farming
needs in order to thrive.
As a farmer I proudly serve as a trustee of the
Columbia Land Conservancy because this organization
reflects my values. I love the land, I love its
diversity, I love seeing people on the land, and I
love it when people can live off the land (farming
and eating). CLC is helping us to keep it that way;
no I will re-phrase: it helps us do it even better.
Jean-Paul Courtens, Roxbury Farm
525 Acres of Farmland Protected in Ghent
If you drive along Route 9H in Ghent, you probably
have seen a sign reading “Gallagher’s Stud” and may
have wondered what it means. Gallagher’s Stud is
a 525-acre farm on Legget Road that raises both thoroughbred
horses and champion Black Angus cattle.
Farm owner Marlene Brody wanted to ensure the
property’s long-term protection as a working farm
and created a plan with CLC to achieve her goal.
The property is comprised of two separate parcels,
each of which is now subject to a conservation easement
held by CLC. A conservation easement is a voluntary
agreement between a landowner and a conservation
organization (see page 6). In this case, the conservation
easement will allow for agricultural uses of
the property while limiting the number and location of
future residential structures.
“The land planning that goes along with the conservation
easement document is a very important part of
our work with the landowner. We try to locate any
reserved house sites to limit the impact on the property,
both visually and in terms of the resources we are
trying to protect,” Tony Colyer-Pendás, CLC’s Director
of Conservation Programs explained. “Since the terms
of the conservation easement will apply to future owners,
we need to make sure we think beyond how the
property is being used today and consider what needs
a farmer might have in the future.”
For the protection of agricultural lands, CLC uses an
agricultural conservation easement which is designed
The Gallagher’s Stud Farm was protected with two conservation easements conserving 525 acres of fields and forests.
to be “farm friendly.” While the agricultural easement
does not require that the property be actively farmed,
it is drafted to encourage agricultural uses on the property.
Under the terms of the agreement, landowners
may construct additional fences, barns, and equipment
sheds as necessary for farming.
“We are not farmers, and we don’t see it as our job
to tell farmers how they should farm. Rather, our
mission is to protect Columbia County’s working landscapes,
and conservation easements are an excellent
tool to keep good agricultural land open and available
for farming in the future,” stated CLC’s Executive
Director, Peter Paden.
C O N S E R VA T I O N E A S E M E N T S
3 Conservation Easements-Five conservation easement projects
totaling nearly 1,000 acres were completed in the final weeks of 2007.
6 Farmland Protection - With land pressures increasing, CLC is
doing its part to help local farmers.
9 Strategic Plan Update - After 12 months of work, a new five-year
plan is nearly complete. Take a sneak peak here.
10 Education and Events - With the return of warm weather,
CLC heads outside with a new twist on the Country Barbecue and
opportunities to explore Columbia County.
12 Public Conservation Areas - We are looking for volunteers
to help at our public lands with new hiking trails.
14 Organizational News - CLC is please to welcome two new
staff members to our freshly renovated offices.
16 Vital Support - Thanks to our volunteers, members, and supporters
who help make our work possible.
On the Cover:
Working farmland is important to
the local economy, environment,
and quality of life. The Old Chatham
Sheepherding Company is the largest
sheep’s milk dairy in the country.
Its fields and pastures are protected
by a 263-acre conservation easement
held by CLC.
Conservation easements can be used to help keep land open for farming in the future.
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