About 40 acres of forested swamps and other sensitive lands
in Lewisboro are preserved forever thanks to an agreement between Westchester
Land
Trust and the Open Space Institute (OSI).
OSI acquired the property in the mid-1990s from a donor who agreed to let the New York City-based preservation organization sell off a small portion for development to raise money. After evaluating the land, OSI concluded that at most two houses should be built on the property, and that much of the area near the wetlands, where additional homes might have been approved, should be preserved for local flora and fauna.
OSI then worked with Westchester Land Trust and the Lewisboro Planning Board to carve out 14 acres for limited development, and gave the remaining 31 acres to the Land Trust.
OSI also granted a conservation easement to the Land Trust, guaranteeing that the 14 acre site will have no more than two houses and that most of this acreage will remain in a natural state.
The property is on Old Church Lane, near the Pound Ridge border. It's an area thick with oaks and mountain laurel. The wetlands and streams drain into the reservoirs in Pound Ridge that supply drinking water to Stamford, Connecticut. Preservation of the land also helps protect the rural character of the road, a narrow, two-lane dirt thoroughfare lined by woods and swamps.
"This is really an ideal conservation/development plan," said Susan Carpenter, Westchester Land Trust's Land Preservation Director. "OSI and the Planning Board worked hard to make sure that all the truly sensitive areas are protected. The land that is being preserved is wild and remote - we appreciate they're willingness to work with us and we're glad to be able to protect it."
Read more about the Old Church Lane Preserve here.
OSI acquired the property in the mid-1990s from a donor who agreed to let the New York City-based preservation organization sell off a small portion for development to raise money. After evaluating the land, OSI concluded that at most two houses should be built on the property, and that much of the area near the wetlands, where additional homes might have been approved, should be preserved for local flora and fauna.
OSI then worked with Westchester Land Trust and the Lewisboro Planning Board to carve out 14 acres for limited development, and gave the remaining 31 acres to the Land Trust.
OSI also granted a conservation easement to the Land Trust, guaranteeing that the 14 acre site will have no more than two houses and that most of this acreage will remain in a natural state.
The property is on Old Church Lane, near the Pound Ridge border. It's an area thick with oaks and mountain laurel. The wetlands and streams drain into the reservoirs in Pound Ridge that supply drinking water to Stamford, Connecticut. Preservation of the land also helps protect the rural character of the road, a narrow, two-lane dirt thoroughfare lined by woods and swamps.
"This is really an ideal conservation/development plan," said Susan Carpenter, Westchester Land Trust's Land Preservation Director. "OSI and the Planning Board worked hard to make sure that all the truly sensitive areas are protected. The land that is being preserved is wild and remote - we appreciate they're willingness to work with us and we're glad to be able to protect it."
Read more about the Old Church Lane Preserve here.