Celebrating 25 Years

25 years of conserving rural landscapes and connecting people to the land

We begin celebrating our 25^th year on May 29^th, 2011 with the Country Barbeque.

25^th Celebration Goals

Join CLC in celebrating our 25th Anniversary as we:

• Increase conserved land to 25,000 acres
• Initiate 25 miles of new trails in Columbia County
• Increase our membership by at least 25%
• Increase our Public Conservation Areas to 2,500 acres
• 25+ new education programs

25^th Celebration Activities

In celebration of our anniversary we have an expanded program schedule for the year, including:

• Family Programs – knee- high naturalists, bird watching, fishing, bonfire and night hike, winter festival
• Art Activities – guest artists teaching drawing, painting, and photography at our Public Conservation Areas
• Guest Educators/speakers – animal tracking, wild food foraging, and astronomy
• Contests – essays, photography, and film
• Self-guided Activities – nature quests, geocaching, and hikes
• Columbia County Outdoors – the publication of a guide book for outdoor activities

Additional support has been provided by Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation and Mellam Family Foundation.

Timeline

• 1986: CLC established
• 1987: Accepts first two conservation easements
• 1989: Hires first full-time Executive Director
• 1990: First “Shad Roe Hoe Down,” the event that is now the Country Barbecue
• 1992: Partners with OSI to purchase 400 acres of land and establish Greenport Conservation Area
• 1994: Receives $742,000 federal grant, with OPRHP, for the acquisition of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
• 1998: Protects 2,200 acres of working farmland in Ancram – the largest state farmland protection grant to that date
• 1999: 10,000 acres under conservation easement
• 2000: Hires first environmental educator
  
• 2001: 100^th conservation easement
• 2002: Establishes Hand Hollow Conservation Area
• 2004: Establishes Ooms Conservation Area at Sutherland Pond
• 2006: Establishes High Falls Conservation Area with views of the highest waterfall in the county
• 2007: Establishes a mile-long trail fully accessible to people with physical disabilities at Greenport Conservation Area
• 2008: Produces strategic plan that places new urgency on support for the agricultural sector
• 2008: Establishes community planning program
• 2008: Establishes Schor Conservation Area
• 2008: 20,000 acres under conservation easement
• 2009: Establishes Round Ball Mountain Conservation Area and Siegel-Kline Kill Conservation Area
• 2010: Initiates farmer–landowner match program
• 2011: 25^th Anniversary
• 2011: Receives National Accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, recognizing that CLC meets national standards for excellence