LANDOWNER STORIES
Winnakee’s land donors care deeply about the health of their woods and the future of their land. Landowners trust that Winnakee will be the stewards of their land well into the future as the challenges of land protection evolve. Winnakee is most grateful to our generous land donors, each with a unique story to tell. Together, our shared vision to protect and restore lands will ensure that future generations
may experience the natural beauty and wonder of this region.
We were interested in donating the land to Winnakee because we knew of their impressive work to increase biodiversity in wetlands and grasslands by protecting and creating habitat for native wildlife on their other properties.
We knew Winnakee would continue the model of good stewardship of the land. As we continue to be involved, we look forward to joining Winnakee for on-site public programs about regenerative land stewardship practices that increase native biodiversity and have a net positive effect on carbon sequestration.
This generous donation of property of 140-acres of land in the Town of Clermont, NY, in Columbia County ensures the permanent protection and active management of over 2,000 feet of streams, 16.8 acres of woody wetlands, over 100 acres of forestland and meadows. The conservation of these natural resources has impacts far beyond the footprint of this property. For instance, the New York Natural Heritage Program identified approximately 24 acres of the property as riparian buffer areas particularly important to stream health and resilience. Vegetated streamside areas – i.e., riparian buffers – have important implications for wildlife habitat, water quality, and flood protection both on-site and further downstream. Read more.
We are grateful that, by our gift, Winnakee will be the steward of the land we love, thus preserving its wildness in perpetuity.”
Donor of Henkin Woods, a 105-acre high-conservation value property in the Town of Milan consisting of a diverse array of habitats, including upland hardwood forests, meadows, hardwood and shrub swamps, riparian zones, perennial and intermittent streams.
The Nature Conservancy is thrilled to see a local land trust leverage its strength and expand its conservation of natural resources to a new regional level. Winnakee’s stewardship plans for the lands we donated will have a strong and positive impact on local environmental health and bring multiple benefits to the community.”
The Nature Conservancy generously donated two properties to Winnakee: Zipfeldberg Bog, a 60-acre property in the Town of Clinton, containing the region’s largest acidic dwarf shrub bog and Primrose HIll, a 60-acre conservation area in the Town of Rhinebeck of locally Significant Forest Northern hardwood-hemlock and red maple forest, a cattail swamp, a protected wetland Area for Rare Plants and Wetland Animals. The original Baker/Raylman tract was donated to TNC in memory of their grandparents, Mr. Arthur Baker and Mrs. Teresa Modolo.
Once our forests are fragmented, they are gone forever. Winnakee understands that it is crucial that they stay intact and that contiguous migration corridors for at risk species are also protected. Winnakee’s stewardship model is the investment in forest resilience our future depends on.”
Dutchess Gables, a stunning 105-acre landscape in the Town of Stanford deemed irreplaceable by Scenic Hudson. The property includes forested land with habitats for three Species of Special Concern in NYS: New England Cottontail, Golden-Winged Warbler, and the American Woodcock. The property is designated by the DEC as a Core Forest in a Forest Linkage Zone, meaning its intact forested connections between nearby matrix forest blocks allow animals and plants to move across the landscape. It is also part of the Stay Connected Initiative. This property was purchased with help from The 1971 Foundation and the Anna Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation.
Donating irreplaceable land through Winnakee is one of the most meaningful things you can do to have a lasting and permanent effect on our region and environment. We trust Winnakee to be its guardian and protector.”
Vlei Marsh is the second largest wetland area in Rhinebeck and was identified as high priority for protection in the Town’s environmental plan. It consists of 165 acres, 90 acres of which are DEC designated wetlands, including 1,300 feet of headwaters of the Fallsburg Creek. The property is designated by the DEC as a Core Forest in a Forest Linkage Zone and as a Significant Biodiversity Area in the Hudson Valley, recognized for its wide diversity of bird life.