Dutchess Land Conservancy

Land conservation: in 2023, the organization worked with numerous landowners on conservation projects covering more than 5,000 acres, and several conservation planning projects, developing resource maps, responding to inquiries about conservation easements and Land conservation, doing research and analysis of important resource Land, and visiting properties. In 2023, seven conservation easements were completed protecting 543 acres which brought the organization's total Land protected to approximately 46,500 acres. Purchase of development rights - the organization continued its work with several farmers on pdr projects in many Dutchess county towns. Municipal conservation areas - through the organization's municipal conservation area assistance program, a program to help towns acquire important resource (Land conservation) Land for passive public use. The dlc continues its work with the town of dover on the dover stone church and seven wells properties.

Education and outreach: educating people about conservation and research are an integral part of the organization's mission. The organization's staff regularly talk with municipalities, school groups, community members, and private landowners about the importance of Land preservation, sound planning, well-planned growth that protects important resources, Land stewardship and management, and ways to keep farmers on the Land. In 2023, the organization hosted and participated in 52 education events, reaching more than 2,500 people. The organization collaborated with 31 organizations and hosted eight programs for students, children and families. In addition, the organizations' outreach and volunteer programs engaged over 137 volunteers on 12 volunteer events, five community science events, and (education) seven community outreach events to improve public spaces in their communities and in community service initiatives. Staff and board members also participated in and attended numerous virtual education events throughout the year. Staff attended the national Land trust rally (conference), attended the new york Land trust conservation conference, numerous seminars, classes and webinars to increase knowledge, participated on numerous committees and boards (national, state, regional, and local) and attended various gatherings to promote awareness of the environment, Land conservation, and the organization's work. The organization's president continues to serve on the Land trust alliance ny advisory council and the national Land trust accreditation commission.

Stewardship: the organization has now protected 46,570 acres stewarding 442 conservation easements. The organization aerially monitors all properties annually and ground monitors its easements on a three to four year rotational basis. In 2023, the organization aerially monitored all conservation easements and completed 156 on a 3-to-4-year rotational ground monitoring schedule through staff. The organization worked on numerous stewardship matters from prior approval requests and Land management questions to resolving easement issues. In 2023, the organization again registered for terrafirma, the conservation easement defense insurance program to enhance its ability to successfully enforce its easements. Each year, the organization also provides research and Land management assistance and works to update old (stewardship) baseline documentation files. Staff strive to keep up to date on internet services such as microsoft's mapslive.com, google earth, and bing, which provide very useful additional sources of aerial photography and use satellite imagery as a monitoring tool. The organization's stewardship responsibilities continue to increase each year as more and more easements are accepted. The organization continues to improve the tracking of easement protected property sales, communication with landowners, and maintaining a "watch list" of easement protected Land on the market to check for new ownership. Throughout the year, the staff files critical easement related documents in the organization's archival storage unit in an off-site facility to ensure the long-term safety of the organization's most valuable documents. The organization also continued its collaboration with the columbia Land Conservancy (clc) and the american farmland trust's farmland for new generation program on a farmer landowner match program, that facilitates lease agreements between landowners seeking to have their Land farmed, and farmers seeking Land, as a way to keep Land open.