Winnakee awarded grants by our partner Scenic Hudson

These funds will be used as matching grants toward two Winnakee Land Trust active land acquisition projects in northern Dutchess County, closing funding gaps to allow Winnakee to protect vulnerable wooded properties totaling 414 acres from fragmentation and development. A Scenic Hudson land capital grant also contributed to Winnakee Land Trust’s purchase last fall of the 153-acre Orchard Hill property, situated within the second largest patch of forest in the Town of Stanford (see article). 

One active project for which Scenic Hudson is providing funding is Winnakee’s planned purchase of a 142-acre property in the Town of Red Hook, known as Camp Rising Sun, currently owned by the nonprofit Louis August Jonas Foundation. Winnakee Land Trust was previously awarded 75% of the total project costs from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Improvement Program and has since been working with partners – such as Scenic Hudson – to bring together additional funds for the purchase of the property for the protection of core forestland and portions of the Saw Kill, a waterway with important climate resilience implications for wildlife and source drinking water downstream.

Among Camp Rising Sun site’s ecological assets that made it competitive for the Scenic Hudson initiative, include:

• 130 acres of forestland adjacent to Hudson Valley Core Forests to the north and south of the property, per the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP), which are also significant for landscape connectivity and riparian buffers to the wetlands and streams on the property.
• “High Priority” protection for Habitat Integrity-Based Linkages by the Town of Red Hook’s Conservation Framework for Planning for Resilient, Connected Natural Areas and Habitats.
• Protection of important riparian buffer areas that influence stream dynamics and health by the Hudson River Estuary’s Riparian Opportunity Assessment, scoring in the 95th percentile of the sub watershed, which indicates comparatively higher overall ecological health.
• 58 acres of forestland identified as especially important for the provision of habitat suitable to support a diversity of sensitive wildlife species by the NYNHP.
• Approximately 5,500 feet of the Saw Kill and over 2,000 feet of associated tributaries, all of which empty into the Hudson River and are Known Important Areas for Coldwater Stream Habitats and Migratory Fish by the NYNHP.
• 37.7 acres of Class II New York State regulated wetlands.

Additional ecological benefits of the projects will also be furthered through Winnakee Land Trust’s active management to maintain and improve forested riparian buffers of the Saw Kill and its related tributaries, forest health and carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat throughout the property.

The importance of acting to protect local forests, and the ecosystem services they provide, is at a crucial window. Resilient forests are one of the best nature-based solutions to improve our region’s ecological health, strengthen local economies and combat the climate crisis.  We are grateful to Scenic Hudson for this collaborative partnership in strengthening one of our region’s great assets in climate resilience: local forests.”

Bob Davis, Winnakee, CEO

Both the Orchid Hill and Camp Rising Sun properties provide new opportunities for public recreation in areas without many trails.

“The surrounding community will also benefit from Winnakee’s planned provision for public access trails,” said Jen Adams, Director of Land Stewardship “In the Town of Red Hook, these trails will serve a location considered a ‘High Priority Area for New Parks’ according to the Trust for Public Land’s Park Serve tool.

“While not publicly accessible yet, the now protected Orchard Hill property will eventually offer a system of trails through forested portions of the property, and Orchard Hill’s open fields include a hill-top vantage point provides a dramatic view of a mountain range to the west,” added Adams.