24.6 acres
Pocantico Hills, Mount Pleasant
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| Land Trust Executive Director Paul Gallay talks with Dr. Lucy Waletzky as they walk the land she protected. |
The Waletzky easement borders Rockefeller State Park and is part of a much larger open space network in Pocantico Hills. The easement preserves the views of the thousands of people a year who use the carriage trails on Rockefeller State Park and also of the many motorists who travel Route 448 in Pocantico.
Consisting of open fields and hardwood forest, the property has significant habitat value. It includes swampy areas and intermittent streams that drain toward the state park, a vernal pool that was created several years ago, and an area that was fenced in several years ago to exclude deer as an experiment in forest regeneration.
Dr. Waletzky serves as chair of the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. She is the daughter of the late Laurence Rockefeller. Her easement is the fifth that Westchester Land Trust has completed in Pocantico Hills with members of the Rockefeller family.
Each of our easement's is evaluated by our land conservation staff. Our land preservation coordinator, Damon Oscarson, writes a report and a recommendation, and sends it to a committee of our Board of Directors, which makes a final decision. Here's an excerpt of what Damon wrote about Dr. Waletsky's easement:
The parcel is mature mixed-deciduous forest with few understory shrubs and several ephemeral streams and swampy areas draining to the south and west onto the preserve. A vernal pool was also created on her land several years ago and a part of it has been fenced to exclude deer as an experiment in forest regeneration. The property has significant wildlife habitat value and habitat connectivity given its proximity to the Rockefeller State Park.
In sum, the property has many significant conservation values. The easement will protect valuable habitat and maintains a wildlife corridor connecting to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The property has significant value in maintaining open space for scenic enjoyment. The property can be seen by hikers and horse riders who use the trail which runs through the land and near the property. The property can also be seen by many residents who drive by along Bedford Road/Rte. 448, a very busy rural road in a densely developed part of Westchester County.