Westchester Land Trust

Westchester Land Trust (WLT) conserves and cares for land in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout its service territory of Westchester and eastern Putnam counties. Its land preservation efforts serve the public by protecting public drinking water supplies, climate-resilient lands, trails for passive recreation and scenic enjoyment, wildlife habitats, farmland, and urban green spaces such as community gardens and pocket parks. - continued on Schedule O - Since 1988 WLT has preserved more than 9,270 acres of open space, and 20 miles of hiking trails in 23 communities. WLT has protected properties ranging from a quarter of an acre to over 600 acres. In 2023, WLT preserved an additional 140 acres across three projects. Community members enjoyed more than 45,000 visits to WLT's preserves in 2023. Twelve preserves are free and open to the public year-round, with the remaining preserves closed to the public as wildlife sanctuaries. WLT partners with the State of New York, Westchester and Putnam counties, private landowners, and local governments to acquire and care for land.WLT is committed to community education about the protection of natural resources, wildlife habitats, and sustainable agriculture. WLT's inclusive collaborations with dozens of national, regional, and local organizations help advance its mission. WLT's mobile education exhibit, the Pollinator Pop-Up, appeared at 17 events in 2023, allowing WLT to connect with thousands of community members about environmental topics. WLT's headquarters, Sugar Hill Farm, is the site of a half-acre organic garden, where vegetables are grown and distributed to local food pantries. In its 12 years of operation, more than 82,000 servings of fresh produce have been donated to families in need of food. Volunteers are the backbone of WLT's work. In 2023 volunteers donated more than 1,200 hours of their time to support WLT's land protection and community engagement programs. WLT's protected lands are home to more than 1,300 species of native plants and animals. In addition to proactive land protection, land stewardship is an important component of WLT's mission. WLT regularly conducts land management and habitat restoration projects on publically accessible lands that it owns or holds conservation easements on. In 2023, WLT hired 40 youth conservationists to help launch a landscape-scale forest health project spanning all its preserves. WLT also employs three summer conservation apprentices as part of its conservation career development program.