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Wallkill Valley Land Trust
Esopus, Gardiner, Lloyd, Marlborough, New Paltz, Plattekill, Rosendale, and Shawangunk
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"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
-- John Burroughs, Naturalist
We invite readers to submit their favorite quote to Nature Quotes !
Board of Directors
Robert E. Taylor,
President, New Paltz
David Rossetter,
Vice-President,
Gardiner
Allan G. Bowdery,
Secretary,
New Paltz
James H. Ottaway Jr.
Treasurer, New Paltz
Bradford Barclay,
New Paltz
Seth Hollander, Gardiner
Carol B. LeFevre, Gardiner
Angela Sisson, Shawangunk
Raymond D. Smith, Jr., Gardiner
Johanna Sokolov, Gardiner
Advisory Board Peter Ferrante, Jr.
Farmer
Judy Gueron
Social Science Researcher
Cara Lee Environmentalist
Ray Rice
former Town Supervisor
WVLT Staff Christopher Duncan,
Executive Director
Yinmei Lin,
Office Manager
Amy R. Poux,
Development Director
Consultants
Lynn Bowdery,
Land Steward
Allyson Levy &
Scott Serrano,
Leaders, Families on the Land
Karen Rhinehart, Events Manager
Barry Tunkel, Bookkeeper
John Wadlin, Attorney | |
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Affordable Weekends Outdoors!
On The Land Programs Kickoff!
This spring and summer walk through one of the few intact woodlands along the Dwaarkill and Shawangunkill during the height of wildflower season, participate in a box turtle search project on a 60 acre fielded property, walk along Plattekill Creek to observe crayfish, frogs and other creek creatures up close!
Walks on the Land are free leisurely explorations on Saturdays, 10am - noon for adults & teens led by volunteer naturalists and conservation biologists.
Families on the Land are programs for children led by outdoor educators.
On the Land Program Schedule
Spring - Fall 2009
Walks on the Land: adults and teens. Free
Saturday, May 9, 10 to 12 noon. Meet 100 yards east of the junction of Red Mills and Steen Roads in Shawangunk. Walk through eighty acre forest to junction of the Dwaarkill and the Shawangunk Kill in Shawangunk. Join conservation biologists Angela Sisson and Lynn Bowdery at the height of the wildflower bloom.
Saturday, May 16, 10 am to 12 noon. Meet at 127 Forest Glen Road, Gardiner. Track box turtles and learn about their habits and habitat with Anne Smith, dog trainer, and Joe Bridges, naturalist. Anne's dogs have been trained to find the turtles.
Saturday, June 6, (rain date June 13) 10 to noon. Meet on Watch Hill Road at Route 208 in New Paltz. Walk up Plattekill Creek, in the water and on the land, exploring the biology and wildlife of this special stream and ravine. Bring waterproof waders or hip boots if you want to walk in the creek.
Saturday, September 12, 10 to noon, visit to Huguenot Street Farm led by the farmers, Ron and Kate Khosla.
Saturday, October 3, 10 to noon, naturalist-led walk at 130 Carney Road on 120 acres of woods, ponds, streams, and fields.
Families on the Land Programs: birth to age 12.
$10 per family
Saturday, June 13, 10 to noon, on the Harcourt Sanctuary in New Paltz. Meet near the Gardens of Nutrition.
Saturday, August 8, 10 to noon. On sixty acres of fields, woods, and meadows. Meet at 1058 Bruynwick Road, Gardiner.
Saturday, October 3, 10 to noon-location and specifics to be determined.
REGISTRATION & More Info: visit Wallikill Valley Land Trust call 845-255-2761, email: info@wallkillvalleylt.org
Walk on the Land Kick-Off!
We had our first '09 Walk on the Land event at Phillies Bridge Farm on Saturday April 25th. A group of 25 adults and children were led by Education Director, Martha Cheo through this beautiful farm property which includes a "discovery" garden, animals and farming.
Martha writes about her guided walk..."late April is the time to catch the delicate spring ephemeral wildflowers, who take advantage of this time of year to make their blooms before they are covered in deep shade. Several wildflower species greeted us from the forest floor: trout lily, hepatica, wood anemone, rue anemone, wild violet, and wild columbine. Higher above in the understory layer of the forest canopy, shadbush were in full bloom, telling us it is time that shad in the Hudson River are running upstream to spawn. About midway on the walk, we reveled at the large "meadow" of wild leeks (ramps), and dug some up to taste and take home. Ramps like areas with moist soil and we discovered several red-backed and lead-backed salamanders do too, by looking under some rocks and logs. Upon leaving the forest, many visitors (especially those with children) lingered to meet the farm's chickens and new young lambs."
REGISTRATION & More Info: visit Wallkill Valley Land Trust call 845-255-2761, email: info@wallkillvalleylt.org
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Get On Your Bikes
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Tour de Farms!
Tour de Farms is a unique eco-tourist event that will promote local farms, while also providing educational opportunities for living sustainability. According to the group's founders, this annual event will raise awareness, support and cultivate a sustainable, locally-conscious food community. It will broaden and deepen the connections between community members, our local growers and our natural environment.
Organized by Liberty View Farm, Phillies Bridge and Dancing Meadow Farms, The Bike Club of New Paltz, Slow Food Hudson Valley, Eat Local Food, Hudson Valley Seed Library, and Wallkill Valley Land Trust, the Tour de Farms celebrates the many social, economic, environmental, skill shares and health benefits of cycling and eating locally-produced foods!
Sharing the day with the Bike Tour will be a local foods related skill-share event put on by Eat Local Food, Hudson Valley Slow Foods, Dancing Meadow Farm and Hudson Valley Seed Library. Under the pavilion at Phillies Bridge Farm local farms and community members will be sharing their skills from gardening to cooking to long-term food storage techniques. Local caterers and restaurateurs will also be offering local food creations for purchase. All farm purchases made during the bike tour will be brought back to this culminating event for pick-up.
The bike tour will consist of several routes of varying length throughout southern Ulster County's scenic farms and farm stands. Each rider will receive a map of Southern Ulster County and all of our farms, CSA's, Farm Stands, as well the local businesses that patronize our local growers.
For more information see the summer issue of the WVLT newsletter or go to the Tour de Farms website at: http://tourdefarms.wordpress.com/
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Kids Tending Their Gardens
 
Martha Cheo, Phillies Bridge Ed. Dir., Jim O'Dowd, Duzine's Wellness Committee, & school community members (teachers, parents, children) at a Green Classroom workday.
The Wallkill Valley Land Trust has joined with Phillies Bridge Farm Project and the Garden Committee at Duzine Elementary School to support the first phase of the envisioned Green Classroom, an organic vegetable and fruit garden on the school grounds. The garden will offer students an enhanced learning experience across the curriculum through hands-on activities with Martha Cheo, Education Director that will serve one class in K, 1st, & 2nd grades. Students will watch the entire life cycle of a plant, from planting the seed in the spring to harvesting the food in the fall when they return to school.
Students can practice the many important math skills they are learning within their classrooms, such as conducting school surveys to determine what crops should be planted, weighing and measuring crops, measuring beds, tracking temperature and growing days for specific plants, and reporting their findings to the school community via a Green Classroom Newsletter, written and illustrated by all participating classes. Our goal is that children develop environmental concepts such as sustainability, conservation and stewardship as they work together to plan, care for, document and harvest their organic garden.
The Wallkill Valley Land Trust became involved in working with the Garden Committee to set goals and come up with a fundraising strategy to bring the project to fruition.
The program has received enthusiastic support from a cross section of organizations and individuals including the PTA, YMCA, Brook Farm, Phillies Bridge Farm Project CSA, New Paltz Greenworks, Healthy Food/Healthy Kids & SUNY New Paltz's Sustainable Agriculture Club and Environmental Task Force. |
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 Everyday is Earth Day.
by Robert Taylor, Board President
Although communities and individuals around the globe recognize April 22 as Earth Day, here at the Wallkill Valley Land Trust -- everyday is earth day. For almost four decades, Earth Day has evolved and so have the challenges to our environment. One of these challenges is preserving open spaces in southern Ulster County, for present and future generations. This is not a mission of luxury but one of necessity. Because land preservation is the optimal way to enable both people and the natural environment to flourish, it allows the natural world and people to coexist while giving each the quality of life we were meant to have. It is no wonder that cities consider it a priority to create and maintain parks, urban gardens and other open spaces. And, it's no surprise that thousands of New York city residents innately recognize this need for balance and flock to Central Park or come to the Hudson Valley on weekends.
As we look to the next Earth Day, know that the WVLT is working each day toward preserving more open space by continuing to make lasting connections between the land and its people. WVLT nurtures these lasting connections through its On the Land series of nature walks and guided tours of select farm and other rural land easements. Many of these walks are guided by naturalists who often reveal to walkers a world of wildlife and fauna otherwise unnoticed. The Land Trust is also partnering with eat local food advocates at the Tour de Farms event this Fall. Also, please come and visit us at the Rosendale Earth Festival and Energy Expo on this Saturday, May 9th at the Rosendale Recreation Center on Route 32. There, you can learn about the habitats and water sources that surround us. And, make sure to bring your children so while you learn about low impact gardening -- they can go on a nature treasure hunt. Hope to see you there! For more information on this event go to: Earthfest 09
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Donating to the Land Trust
"As treasurer of The Wallkill Valley Land Trust since it was founded over 20 years ago, I have been inspired by the 22 landowners who have put conservation easements on their land to restrict development and preserve clean, open spaces, totaling over 1,500 acres of southern Ulster County. My wife and I are following their good examples by placing an easement on our 15 acres of the biologically diverse Plattekill River Creek Gorge two miles south of New Paltz and east of Route 208."
Jim Ottaway, WVLT Treasurer
Now it is more convenient than ever to donate to Wallkill Valley Land Trust! Just go to www.wallkillvalleylt.org and use our 'Click and Pledge' program, or you can send contributions to: P.O. Box 208, New Paltz, NY 12561
Thank you for your support and interest. The preservation of our rural surroundings depend on it! |
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