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Land Preservation Coordinator Damon Oscarson searches for amphibians in a vernal pool at the Eastwoods Preserve in Pound Ridge.
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Westchester Land Trust has helped fulfill the promise of local open space ballot propositions by working closely with town, county, state and other governments to buy important lands.
Since 2000, buying land has been a key part of local environmental
protection efforts in Westchester. Thirteen communities have bought at
least 1,976 acres of open space, spending $31.5 million in municipal
money and combining it with $46.9 million from New York State,
Westchester County, New York City, and private sources.
Westchester Land Trust has played an important role in most of these
acquisitions. Below we've provided a town by town summary of local
acquisitions and money earmarked for buying land. To start with though
here are accounts of several of our recent and favorite partnership
acquisitions:
Eastwoods Preserve, Pound Ridge
Leon Levy Preserve, South Salem
Angle Fly Preserve, Somers
Old Field Preserve, Waccabuc
Here's a town-by-town list of properties we helped protect. Click on a name to go directly to projects in town further down the list:
Bedford
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Leatherman's Ridge |
33.95 acres |
Dwight Lane* |
Cortlandt
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Hemlock Hill Farm |
116 acres |
Croton Avenue |
Greenburgh
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Gracemere Park |
17.4 acres |
Gracemere Avenue, Tarrytown |
| Neperan Road Park |
2.4 acres |
Neperan Road, Tarrytown |
| Taxter Ridge |
200.55 acres |
Taxter Rd & Sheldon Ave. |
Total in Greenburgh 220.35 acres
New Castle
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Burden Preserve |
97 acres |
Route 128 |
New Rochelle
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Glenwood Lake |
4.5 acres |
Glen Car Avenue |
Pound Ridge
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Eastwoods Preserve |
48 acres |
Eastwoods Road* |
Rye
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Rye Nursery |
7 acres |
Stuyvesant Road |
Somers
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Angle Fly Preserve |
654 acres |
Primrose Street |
| Stuart's Farm |
170 acres |
Granite Springs Road |
Yorktown
| Easement/Donor | Acres | Road |
| Solomon's Farm |
34 acres |
Quinlan Street |
Total Acres 1384.8
*We hold a conservation easement on Leatherman's Ridge and the Eastwoods Preserve
Here's a complete account of which communities in Westchester have money for
open space acquisition, and how they have used it.
- Somers - passed a $2 million bond proposition;
spent $4 million combined with $9.3 million from New York City, $4
million from Westchester County and $3.2 million from New York State to
buy the 654-acre Eagle River property. Westchester Land Trust helped
bring the funders together, negotiated the contract, and handled many
of the pre-closing details. Somers also spent approximately $1.6
million combined with $1.6 million from Westchester County and $2.2
million from New York State to buy the development rights to the
170-acre Stuart's Farm, in Granite Springs, ensuring that the farm will
remain a farm. Westchester Land Trust helped prepare the application
for the state farmland protection grant.
- Pound Ridge - passed a ballot proposition in 2000 that raises $300,000 a year for 10 years. The town spent $2.3 million combined with $600,000 from Westchester Land Trust to buy 48 acres on Eastwoods Road (in the photo at right, WLT's Damon Oscarson looks for frogs and salamanders in a vernal pool on the preserve). Westchester Land Trust and the Town's open space commitee negotiated the contract. Pound Ridge spent $145,000, combined with $580,000 from Mianus River Gorge Preserve, for 11 acres that will become part of the preserve (this was not a WLT project).
- Bedford - passed a $3 million bond proposition. The town spent $1.275 million combined with $50,000 donated by residents, for 33-acre Leatherman's Ridge; Westchester Land Trust negotiated the deal. The town also spent $800,000 for 10 acres in Katonah (not a WLT project).
- Lewisboro - passed $2 million bond proposition. The town spent $500,000, combined with $3.7 million from the state, county, and private donors, for the 110-acre Old Field Preserve; Westchester Land Trust negotiated the deal and worked with members of the Lewisboro Land Trust (a WLT chapter) to raise private money for the acquisition. The town also spent $1 million, combined with $1 million from New York City, $5 million from the Jerome Levy Foundation and $500,000 from the Dextra, Baldwin McGonigle Foundation, to buy and create the 386-acre Leon Levy Preserve. WLT negotiated the deal and handled many of the pre-closing details.
- Yorktown - raised $2 million through annual tax of $30 per parcel.
Bought the 34-acre Solomon's Farm property in December 2006 for $1.25
million WLT helped negotiate the purchase. The town bought 25 acres near Turkey Mountain for $1.4 million in 2005.
Yorktown also bought a 4-acre property and a 4.5-acre property with money in a
special Hallocks Mill Brook watershed fund that WLT helped over see and advise. The town contributed approximately
$350,000, combined with $350,000 from Cortlandt, $700,000 from
Westchester County, and $1.5 million from New Yor State, to protect the
116-acre Hemlock Hill Farm, on the Yorktown-Cortlandt border. Westchester Land Trust helped prepare the application for the state farmland protection grant.
- Tarrytown - passed a $3 million bond proposition. The village spent $1.6 m for 2.4 acres, on Neperan Road, and $250,000 for two acres in Gracemere. Westchester Land Trust helped negotiate both purchases.
- Irvington - passed a $3 million bond proposition. The town spent $1.5 million combined with $3 million from the county, $500,000 each from Trust for Public Land/Open Space Institute and Scenic Hudson, and $330,000 from New York State for the 40-acre Westwood property. Westchester Land Trust helped secure funding from the County Board of Legislators.
- White Plains - $5 million in municipal budget. Spent $1.75 million for 5.3-acre D'Elia property.
- New Castle - passed a $2 million bond proposition. Spent $1.5 million for 97 acres of Burden property (not a WLT project).
Greenburgh - 0.5% of annual town tax rate from 1997 - 2003. The town spent $3.7
million, combined with $7 million from the state and county, for
the 199-acre Taxter Ridge property. Westchester Land Trust prepared an analysis of the development potential and the benefits of protection that led to the purchase.
- North Salem - passed a $2 million bond proposition in 2000 and a $2 million bond proposition in 2005. The town spent $1.035 million, combined with $115,000 from the North Salem Open Land Foundation, for the 66-acre Purdys Ridge preserve; WLT helped negotiate the contract. The town also spent $500,000 combined with $2.1 million from the North Salem Open Land Foundation for 60 acres on Bloomer Road, near Peach Lake.
- Rye - The city spent $2.4 million to acquire 7-acre Rye Nursery property. WLT helped negotiate the agreement.
- New Rochelle - The city bought 3 acres to add to Glenwood Lake park, in 2001; Westchester County contributed $210,000 purchase price. New Rochelle contributed 1 percent of the purchase price and dedicated an additional 1.5 acres as parkland. The city bought an additional acre at Glenwood Lake in 2006; WLT helped negotiate the acquisition.
- Cortlandt - The town contributed to the Hemlock Hill Farm preservation effort (see Yorktown, above). Cortlandt is allocating part of annual budget surplus to open space fund.
- North Castle - passed a $3 million open space bond proposition; open space committee working with Westchester Land Trust and North Castle Land Trust to recommend acquisitions.
- Dobbs Ferry - passed a $3 million bond proposition.
- Ardsley - passed a $1.75 million bond proposition.
