The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) partnered with Scenic Hudson to permanently protect 233 acres in Stuyvesant. The landowner donated the development rights on his property to CLC by conveying a conservation easement that protects the most important natural characteristics of the property.
WORKING FARM
The property is currently being cultivated for corn and hay and the landowner is hoping to expand its agricultural use. The protected property includes 180 acres of farmland, including 115 acres of “prime soils”, 85 acres of “statewide important soils” and 20 acres of “prime where drained” as determined by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
WILDLIFE AND ECOLOGY
The easement protects two unnamed Class C Trout Streams, which drain into the Hudson River, as well as an 8-acre wetland that is identified by the National Wetlands Inventory. Protecting trout streams and wetlands are vital to maintaining wildlife habitat, protecting from flood damage, and improving water quality.
RURAL LANDSCAPES
The property is characterized by flat and rolling hills with open meadows, several hedgerows, and wooded ravines. It is prominently visible from various county roads. It is part of a “Neighborhood Conservation Block” that is comprised of ten other properties within two miles totaling 1,708 acres of land permanently protected with conservation easements [see Monkshood/Goodwin]. A portion of the property is located within a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance as designated by the New York State Department of State Coastal Management Program’s Scenic Areas of Statewide Significance study.
HISTORIC PLACE
Historically, the property has been known as the Johannis L. Van Alen Farm. In 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It contains a 1760 Dutch house and antique agricultural outbuildings.
THINKING BIG
This easement is part of a larger campaign to conserve rural landscapes and connect people to the land. The protection of farmland is a key part of both CLC’s and Scenic Hudson’s mission. This easement is a collaboration between a landowner, a non-profit with a Columbia County focus (CLC), and a non-profit with a Hudson River area focus (Scenic Hudson). It is also in support of the conservation vision of both the Town of Stuyvesant and New York State.
Protection of the property achieves several goals of the current NYS Open Space Conservation Plan, including protecting Hudson River tributaries, protecting lands within a designated Scenic Area of Statewide Significance, and farmland protection. It also achieves many goals articulated in the Town of Stuyvesant’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan states, “Enhance the Town’s quality of life primarily as a place to live through the enhancement of the recreational resources along the Hudson River, the conservation of the historic and natural resources townwide, and the stimulation of agricultural industries and other compatible forms of economic development…” It also proposes to “maintain agriculture as the dominant land use by conserving farmlands and economically stimulating local agricultural industry. . . [and] . . .protect and conserve important prime and agricultural lands.”
With the closing of this conservation easement, Columbia Land Conservancy now holds 156 easements on 21,980 acres.