At its annual meeting on Saturday, February 4, held at Local 111 in Philmont, the Columbia Land Conservancy extended its thanks to two Columbia County residents for outstanding service to the organization. After a combined 33 years on CLC’s Board of Trustees, Michael Polemis and Judy Grunberg are stepping down.

Polemis was a founding board member, one of original trustees on the day CLC was created – over twenty-five years ago. He has served as Board Chair since 1996. Polemis built on the organization’s strength as it grew to a staff of 15 with an annual budget of $1.5 million. During Polemis’s tenure as Board Chair, CLC has greatly expanded its focus which, in addition to holding conservation easements on privately owned land, now includes owning and managing Public Conservation Areas, an education program, support for working farms, and assistance for local governments and organizations in land use planning. CONTINUE READING

The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) is pleased to announce that Deborah E. Lans has been named its new chair of the Board of Trustees, succeeding Michael Polemis, who has led the organization for the past 15 years. Lans first joined the Board in 2009 and has served as Vice-Chair since 2011. She is a frequent visitor to the Public Conservation Areas that CLC runs, particularly, Ooms Conservation Area at Sutherland Pond where, she says, “the hills, fields, and views make my heart sing.” She has lived in Columbia County for over 25 years.

The first 25 years of CLC’s work have seen enormous achievements. Michael Polemis, our retiring Board Chair, Peter Paden, our Executive Director, and our talented and dedicated staff and board (past and present) have made CLC a force in the land trust world, envisioning programs that have since been adopted by other land trusts and that give CLC a broad impact outside of, as well as within, the county.

Deborah E. Lans, Chair of CLC Board of Trustees CONTINUE READING