Gardiner, New York – For the second year in a row, the community-based Land Trusts of Ulster County will provide a unique opportunity to learn about land conservation options and related community and financial benefits.
On Saturday November 8 th from 9 AM to 1:30 PM at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, landowners, town planners, municipal officials, concerned citizens, land trust representatives, and others will gather to discuss how undeveloped land helps ensure the protection of water resources, scenic views, wildlife habitat, and quality of life, and the many options, strategies, and financial mechanisms available to support this process.
“Last year's sold-out conference drew more than 150 people and interest in open space protection is growing steadily, so we came together and decided to do it again,” says Christopher Duncan, Executive Director of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust.
The conference, titled “Preserving Your Land,” will begin with a key note speech by Erik Kulleseid, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. After the address, participants can attend two of the five workshops offered:
Living with a Conservation Easement , focusing on the experiences of landowners who have protected their land by donating or selling a conservation easement or purchasing a property with an existing easement.
Your Land Preservation Team, with a lawyer, an appraiser, and a surveyor explaining their roles in developing conservation easements and how you can be part of and benefit from this process.
Protecting Farmland & Working Forests with an expert from the American Farmland Trust and a forester who is one of the authors of the New York law that provides tax relief to forest owners. They will discuss how landowners can both protect land and maintain their livelihoods.
Navigating through Local and State Government on the behind-the-scenes interplay that impacts land preservation. Learn about the roles of town and planning boards, assessors, and municipal regulating commissions, as well as the importance of local, county, and state zoning codes, open space plans, and tax codes.
Financial Incentives for Protecting Your Land explains the New York State and Federal tax benefits available to landowners and the many town, county, state and federal funding programs for land protection.
The conference is presented jointly by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Cragsmoor Conservancy, Esopus Creek Conservancy, Kingston Land Trust, Mohonk Preserve, Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy, Wallkill Valley Land Trust, and Woodstock Land Conservancy. It is funded by the land trusts, with additional support from American Farmland Trust; Brooks and Brooks, PC; Friends of the Shawangunks; The Nature Conservancy; New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Open Space Institute; Orange County Land Trust; PDQ Printers; SUNY Ulster; Scenic Hudson; Schain and Company; and Shawangunk Mountains Regional Partnership.
Registration for the conference is $30, which includes continental breakfast and lunch. Members of town planning and zoning boards may register for $40 per person to earn two hours of training credit. To register, visit www.wallkillvalleylt.org , send payment to The Wallkill Valley Land Trust, PO Box 208, New Paltz, NY 12561, or call 845-255-2761. Same-day registration accepted if space is available.
