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Bridge Gardens Opens March 31
Saturdays in
April & May,
works by the artists of Plein Air Peconic on Display in the Garden House
Bridge Gardens Lecture Series
The Gardens' Lecture Series is off to a great start, with speakers Vincent Simeone and Duncan Brine providing engaging Sunday afternoons with standing room only crowds. Please join us for more conversations this Spring:
Sunday, April 1:
Scot Medbury
Sunday, April 22: Christian Duvernois & Jacob Lange
Sunday, May 20: Design Panel with
Ed Krug,
Carolyn Tierney, Peter Sabbeth &
Kati Curtis
Save the dates and join us for one or all of the upcoming talks with notable experts in the fields of horticulture, sustainability and design. 1:00 to 3:00 pm, refreshments will be served. To RSVP, or for more information, contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195, ext. 19.
We look forward to seeing you this Spring!
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Upcoming Connections
Programs
Scott Chaskey at the Parrish Art Museum's Lightning Round 2
Thursday, March 29
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Parrish Art Museum
25 Jobs Lane, Southampton
 In the tradition of "pecha kucha" (chit-chat in Japanese), the Parrish presents this fun and exciting series of rapid-paced presentations by 12 members of the creative community. Poet-Farmer Scott Chaskey, director of the Trust's Quail Hill Farm, will join the group this round with a focus on his poetry. $5/Parrish members; $10/non-members. Contact the Parrish for more info at 631.283.2118.
Seeds and Seedlings at Quail Hill Farm Saturday, March 31 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Deep Lane, Amagansett 
Join Quail Hill Farm Director Scott Chaskey in this fun and interactive workshop. You will plant a variety of seed trays destined for the farm's greenhouse. Scott will also discuss the importance of making and using compost for growing. Free! Program is rain or shine. ~~~~~~~~~~ Build a Birdhouse Workshop Saturday, April 14 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Quail Hill Farm, Deep Lane, Amagansett 
Bring the family to the barn at Quail Hill Farm for a fun-filled morning creating nesting boxes for our feathered friends. You will assemble birdhouses from pre-cut materials and learn more about ways to attract songbirds to your backyard. Materials for this program are donated by Riverhead Building Supply. $10/birdhouse. Limited to the first 25 registrants. Reservations are strongly suggested. Program is rain or shine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Berries and Brambles: Backyard Fruits for the East End Saturday, April 21 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Salt Air Farm, 1535 New Suffolk Road, Cutchogue 
Interested in growing and enjoying your own berries? This program is for you! Explore backyard growing needs for raspberries, blackberries and blueberries with Dan and Prudence Heston. Plant varieties, soil prep, irrigation, and long-term care will be highlighted. $5/person. Rain cancels. For more information
or reservations for these Connections programs, please contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19. 
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Get ready
for Spring Planting & Farmers Markets
Branded merchandise from the Peconic Land Trust are great for digging in the dirt and visiting your favorite farmers . . . all while showing your support for the Trust's conservation mission. T-Shirts Baseball Caps Market Bags and more!  | |
Our baseball cap
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Organic cotton
T-shirts
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Roomy
Market Bag
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Visit our online store for these items and more. Or call 631.283.3195.
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Peconic Land Trust and Oysterponds Historical Society
Partner on Unique Conservation & Historic Preservation in East Marion
 Thanks from a donation to the Trust from the J. Philip Anderegg Estate, the partnership has resulted in the protection of property, adjacent to Dam Pond, bequeathed to the Society by the estate of Sonja Stein.
Earlier this month, the Peconic Land Trust and the Oysterponds Historical Society announced the completion of a unique conservation and historic preservation collaboration on properties donated to the Society by the Estate of Sonja Stein in 2011.
 The project adds 2.7 acres of land acquired by the Trust and the protection of two historic home and about 13 acres of land retained by the Society (nearly 1/4 mile of protected shoreline) to the existing assemblage of private and public conservation land on and around Dam Pond.
The generous gift by Ms. Stein to the Society was made with the intent of maintaining the historical integrity of the residences on the properties, while also protecting, forever, the conservation values of the grounds as a nature and wildlife preserve.
The funds provided by the Estate of J. Philip Anderegg enabled the Trust to acquire 2.7 acres of the estate, adjacent to the Ruth Oliva Preserve at Dam Pond. The portion of the Stein property acquired by the Trust from the Society will be as the Sonja Stein Preserve.
To learn more about this unique partnership, please visit the Trust's website. An article on the project also appeared in the March 8 issue of the Suffolk Times.
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White House Conference on Outdoor Initiatives Engages Conservation Community
Trust President John v.H. Halsey joins conservation advocates and land trust leaders to discuss issues surrounding conservation in urban cities and rural communities. The conference is an outgrowth of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative.
On March 2, Trust President John v.H. Halsey joined hundreds of conservationists in Washington, DC, for a day-long conference,"Growing America's Outdoor Heritage and Economy." The conference, which included
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photo from US Dept. of Interior website
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presentations from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, was capped off with an address by President Barack Obama.
The administration's focus through this initiative is to empower locally led conservation and outdoor recreation efforts. An interesting component of this initiative is the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs). Established in 2009 under the Department of the Interior, LCCs are focused on the protection of North America's natural and cultural resources and landscapes. There are 22 local LCCs across the continental US, Alaska, the Pacific Islands and Caribbean. These public-private partnerships are chartered to look at the complexities of whole landscapes and involve a diverse group of conservation partners in developing strategies and programs that address land use changes and impacts.
"The conference provided a substantive opportunity to meet and discuss the conservation challenges that are effecting not only our work on Long Island, but also landowners, communities and conservation organizations across the United States," said Trust President Halsey. "It was intriguing to learn more about the LCCs and the work they doing. These collaborative efforts are providing organizations with important research, tools and strategies that can be applied to projects in our communities."
To learn more about LCCs and how you can get involved, visit the Department of Interior's website.
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Thank you to all who joined us this month for our annual Volunteer Orientations.
And to all the volunteers who've already begun helping us at outreach programs. We couldn't do our work without your support.
The Trust's annual Volunteer Orientation, held on March 3 and March 10, was a huge success. Returning and new  volunteers mingled on both the South and North Forks to learn more about our conservation work on the East End and how important volunteers are to our organization's efforts.
It's not too late to join us this year. If you didn't have the opportunity to come to one of our volunteer meetings, please contact Outreach Manager Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195. Also, visit our website, our Volunteer Handbook and Application are available for download (PDF documents). 
We've already had wonderful volunteer opportunities this year, including a clean up day at the Trust's Accabonac, Jacob's Farm, and High Point Preserves in Amagansett, where we picked up over 3,000 lbs of debris from the trails and roadsides!
Volunteering takes many forms, from clean ups to registrations, from expert advice to stuffing envelopes, from fundraising to event decorations. There is something for every interest.
Our volunteers are special to us. Please join us!
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Special Events:
Josh Levine Memorial Dinner to Support Slow Food East End's Local School Garden and Greenhouse Programs
 On Sunday, April 1st, please join us for the second annual Josh Levine Memorial Dinner at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. Organized by the Josh Levine Memorial Foundation, proceeds from the dinner will support Slow Food East End's Local School Garden and Greenhouse programs.
The evening, which includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at the Bay Street Theater, is a wonderful way to celebrate Josh and support school garden programs across the East End.
Tickets are: $150/person for dinner and cocktails or $75/person for cocktails only at the Bay Street Theater.
For more information and to reserve tickets, visit the Josh Levine Memorial Foundation website at http://jlmf.weebly.com/index.html
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Small Farm Programs
2nd Annual Long Island
Small Farms Summit
Join us on Saturday, April 14, for this day long conference focused on cultivating active community support of sustainable local agriculture. 
Growers, producers, educators and the community at large are invited to participate. Over 30 panels and workshops are planned throughout the day. Location: Hofstra University
The Peconic Land Trust is
one of event sponsors.
Keynote presentations by:
Will Allen of Growing Power
Renegade Lunch Lady Ann Cooper
 
Specialty Food Business Workshop
The  New York State Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook University will be holding a one day workshop on the Specialty Food Business.
Date: April 11
Time: 9 am to 4 pm
Location: Open House Kitchen, Agricultural Consumer Science Center at the Stony Brook University Incubator at Calverton
$40 registration includes lunch, business plan guide, and other materials. Limit of two persons per company.
For more information and to register, call 631.632.9837 or email to sbdc@stonybrook.edu.
Recap:
Cornell's Small Farm Initiative
On Wednesday, February 29, Trust staff participated in Cornell Cooperative Extension's biannual, state-wide Small Farms Summit. An interactive, collaborative session across four NY State regions (via Skype), this year's topic was "Emerging Opportunities to Enhance Viability and Support of Small Farms in New York."
Participants included farmers, aspiring farmers, educators, land trusts, and farm bureaus from across the State. The Downstate Region (Long Island, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester and Rockland) identified the following as the list of top priorities for the next five years:
- Agricultural Land Access and Sustainability
- Food Distribution (inclusive of livestock and produce processing)
- Financing Strategies
- Education
- Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Resources
- Documenting the Economic Impact of Small Farms
Overall, the priorities matched up with those identified in the other four regions, except in the area of agricultural land. As we are aware, rising land prices for agricultural land is an area of concern more specifically felt in communities closest to the NYC metro center. For more information, or to get involved with Cornell's initiatives on small farms, contact Dale Moyer, Agriculture Program Director, at 631.727.7850.
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Peconic Land Trust Conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands, and heritagefor our communities now and in the future.
To learn more, visit us online at www.PeconicLandTrust.org or call 631.283.3195.A copy of the last financial report filed with the New York State Attorney General may be obtained by writing to: New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 or Peconic Land Trust, PO Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969.
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