Westchester Land Trust Inc

THE PRIMARY MISSION OF THE WESTCHESTER LAND TRUST IS TO CONSERVE, MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE NATURAL AND AESTHETIC ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY, EASTERN PUTNAM COUNTY AND ITS ENVIRONS.

WLT PERMANENTLY PRESERVES REGIONALLY AND LOCALLY PRIORITIZED LANDS IN URBAN, SUBURBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT ITS SERVICE TERRITORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND EASTERN PUTNAM COUNTY. ITS LAND PRESERVATION EFFORTS SERVE THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY PROTECTING DRINKING WATER, AIR QUALITY, NATURAL WILDLIFE HABITATS, TRAILS FOR PASSIVE RECREATION, AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND URBAN GREEN SPACES, AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTING TO NATURAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION EFFORTS THAT COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. - CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O - SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1988 WLT HAS PRESERVED MORE THAN 9,000 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE, INCLUDING 33 PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE NATURE PRESERVES THAT IT OWNS AND MANAGES, AND 20 MILES OF WALKING TRAILS IN 23 COMMUNITIES. WLT HAS PROTECTED PROPERTIES RANGING FROM 1/4 ACRE TO OVER 600 ACRES. IN 2021, WLT PRESERVED AN ADDITIONAL 240 ACRES ACROSS 6 PROJECTS, AND CONTINUED TO MOVE MANY OTHER PROJECTS, COMPRISING HUNDREDS OF ACRES, CLOSER TO COMPLETION. IN 2021, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ENJOYED MORE THAN 45,000 VISITS TO WLT'S PRESERVES WHICH ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC YEAR-ROUND. IN ADDITION TO PARTNERING WITH PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, WLT PARTNERS WITH THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WESTCHESTER AND PUTNAM COUNTY, AND LOCAL MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS TO ACQUIRE AND PRESERVE LANDS THAT HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED FOR PRESERVATION.WLT IS COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY EDUCATION ABOUT THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, WILDLIFE HABITATS AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. WLT ACCOMPLISHED THIS THROUGH HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS AT WLT PRESERVES, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMING, AND THE LAUNCH OF A TRAVELING COMMUNITY EDUCATION EXHIBIT CALLED THE POLLINATOR POP-UP. WLT COLLABORATES WITH DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR NORTHERN WESTCHESTER (CCNW), FARMLAND FOR A NEW GENERATION / AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST, HUDSON TO HOUSATONIC REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP, PACE UNIVERSITY, PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT POLLINATOR PATHWAY NORTHEAST, AND OUTDOOR AFRO. WLT HAS CONDUCTED FOOD JUSTICE PROGRAMMING FOR MANY YEARS. WLT'S SUGAR HILL FARM IS THE SITE OF A HALF-ACRE ORGANIC GARDEN, WHERE VEGETABLES ARE GROWN BY HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS EACH YEAR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES. IN ITS 10 YEARS OF OPERATION, SUGAR HILL FARM HAS PRODUCED MORE THAN 80,000 SERVINGS OF FRESH PRODUCE FOR LOCAL FAMILIES IN NEED. IN 2021, VOLUNTEERS DONATED NEARLY 500 HOURS OF TIME TO WLT'S FOOD PANTRY FARM AND NEARLY HALF OF ALL VOLUNTEERS WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. WLT STAFF PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO FARMLAND OWNERS AND FARMERS SEEKING LAND AND USE A PREVIOUSLY URBAN CONSERVATION FEASIBILITY STUDY TO GUIDE ITS NEW WORK IN URBAN COMMUNITIES.WLT'S PROTECTED LANDS ARE HOME TO MORE THAN 1,300 SPECIES OF NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 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 2021, WLT STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS REMOVED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INVASIVE PLANTS, INSTALLED DEER FENCES, PLANTED NATIVE TREES AND MAINTAINED 20 MILES OF TRAILS. THIS WORK WAS CONDUCTED AT WLT PRESERVES SUCH AS WESTCHESTER WILDERNESS WALK/ZOFNASS FAMILY PRESERVE, FREDERICK P. ROSE PRESERVE, OTTER CREEK PRESERVE, PINE CROFT MEADOW PRESERVE AND HUNTER BROOK PRESERVE. VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS OF WLT'S PRESERVE WORK AND IN 2021 DONATED MORE THAN 1000 HOURS OF SERVICE.