News & Events from the Peconic Land Trust
Conservation News
South Country Farm/Rossellini : 
At the end of December, the Trust received a donation of a conservation easement from actress/philanthropist Isabella Rossellini on a 20.8 acres in the Town of Brookhaven. Ms. Rossellini intends to re-introduce agricultural production on the land, which is in the vicinity of Deer Run Farm and the Dennis Puleston Nature Preserve on South Country Road. For more on this conservation story, please read the press release.
Chris & Holly Browder/Browder's Birds
 Also at the end of December, the Trust sold 13.2 acres of protected farmland -- a significant portion of the Trust's Oregon Road Farm -- to Chris and Holly Browder of Browder's Birds. The Browders, one of the first lessees through the Trust's Farms for the Future Initiative, began their pasture-raised, organic poultry operation on five acres at the Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm in 2010 -- and are the first of the Farms of the Future participants to transition to their own home farm. Congratulations to Chris and Holly! For more info on Browder's Birds, visit their website. For more on this conservation story, please read the press release.
Suffolk County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan Update:
The Trust is working with the County to update its Agricultural and Farmland  Protection Plan through outreach to the agricultural community. The Trust has made available through its website an online survey for farm operations. Funding for the Trust's work has been provided through a grant from the Long Island Community Foundation. The plan update is being funded in part by this grant, along with a grant to the County by the New York State Department of Agriculture. To learn more, please read the press release.
Trust Working with Long Island Farm Bureau Member Services Corporation and J. Kings in an Outreach Initiative  with Local Farming Community for new Cold Storage and Processing Facility at Grapes and Greens in Calverton. The Peconic Land Trust is providing outreach and communications to the local agricultural community with regard to available leasing options. Leases to the new 30,000 sf facility are being subsidized through a grant from New York's Empire State Development Corporation. An informational meeting for growers will take place on Wednesday, February 27 at 3:00 pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 423 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead. For more information, contact Kim Quarty or Dan Heston at the Peconic Land Trust at 631.283.3195.
Legislative Update
The Peconic Land Trust will be joining conservation, farming, and environmental groups  for two upcoming Lobby Days in Albany. We encourage you to join us during these important meetings with our local legislators as we continue to advocate for funding to the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The EPF provides vital funds for open space and farmland protection, as well as a funding mechanism for land trust growth in New York State. Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget proposal includes a $19 million increase to the appropriation for the EPF. Click here to read the official statement from the Friends of New York's Environment coalition, of which the Peconic Land Trust participates. - Wednesday, March 6: Environmental Protection Fund Lobby Day, with Friends of New York's Environment and Land Trust Alliance.
- Wednesday, March 13: No Farms, No Food Rally, hosted by the American Farmland Trust/New York.
Interested in joining us? Contact Julie Zaykowski at 631.283.3195 ext. 32. For more information and updates on conservation legislation, visit our website or Land Trust Alliance website. For links to your local representatives, visit our Public Policy page. Now's the Time:
Volunteers Needed! Ever thought how much fun it could be to volunteer with the  Peconic Land Trust? Join us for our annual Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, March 9 from 10 am to 1 pm. Choose a location -- either Bridge Gardens in Bridgehampton or the North Fork Stewardship Center in Cutchogue -- and learn about opportunities to put your skills to work in support of local land conservation and meet new friends and neighbors. For more information and to register, contact Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195 ext. 29. We are now accepting membership applications for the following programs:  -
Quail Hill Farm CSA Membership. The Trust is taking applications for the waiting list of new memberships for the summer season (June through October). Interested! Contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19.
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 Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm Community Gardens Membership.
This growing community garden has a few openings for new members. Contact North Fork Stewardship Manager Denise Markut if interested at 631.734.5630.
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 Bridge Gardens Membership.
The Gardens officially open for the season on April 6 -- but programming is already underway with the annual series, "Conversations with . . . ". Join Bridge Gardens today and receive free admission to this series, as well as admission to the Gardens all season long, including Friday's at Six Music in the Gardens. Join or renew your membership today by contacting Tom Hobson at 631.283.3195 ext. 20.
Upcoming Connections Activities:
February 23: Trail Clean Up in Amagansett 9:00 am to noon Join us on the trails in Amagansett as we once again team up with the volunteers from the
East Hampton Trails Preservation Society
for a clean up on the trail system through the Stony Hill area. We will meet on the road at the
intersection of Old Stone Highway and Accabonac Road. Please bring work gloves and dress for the outdoors. For more information, contact Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195. Sunday, March 10: Ground for Hope Long Island, Temple Beth David, Commack 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm The Peconic Land Trust has signed on along with other local environmental and conservation organizations as a co-sponsor for: Ground for Hope Long Island--Multi-Faith Environmental Action in Sandy's Wake a one-day conference on Sunday, March 10th at Temple Beth David in Commack. The program is hosted by GreenFaith and the Long Island Council of Churches. For more information and to register, click here. Registration is $20/person.  Saturday, March 16: Starting Vegetable Seedlings for the Home Garden at the Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm 10:00 am to 11:30 am Get an early start on your kitchen garden at this program with Sandra Menash, Vegetable Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension. $5/person. Space is limited. Bring your questions for group discussion! RSVP today!  Art in the Garden with Lois Bender Come to the Gardens this spring and learn how to capture the beauty of nature in your drawings and watercolor images. Professional artist and watercolor expert, Lois Bender will start with beginning skill development and build upon her teachings in this 4-part series: Watercolor: Warm-up Skills (March 2), Watercolor: Skyscapes, Cloudscapes, and Sunsets (March 16), Nature Journal Sketechbook: Garden Landscape (April 6) and Watercolor Flower Power! (April 20). All classes are from 1-3 pm and are $35/each plus materials fees. To register contact Lois at LoisBender@GardenSpiritsNY.com.  Bridge Gardens' Conversations with . . . Series For the fourth year, Bridge Gardens will be the host of this series of talks with influential people in the fields of gardening and sustainability. Join us as we prepare for Spring! - Sunday, March 3: Cooking with Herbs, Part II, with Rick Bogusch
- Sunday, March 17: The Rain Garden with CCE's Mark Cappellino
- Sunday, April 7: Avalon: A Journey through Land Reclamation with Katherine Griffiths
- Sunday, April 21: Why Not? Landscape Design & Sustainability with Edwina von Gal
All programs are at Bridge Gardens beginning at 2 pm, except for Sunday March 3 which will be at the Bridgehampton Community House. For more information and to RSVP, contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19. 
Growing Farmers on the Screen
Growing Farmers, the documentary film about the Trust's work with farmers on Long Island will be screened locally in March & April at:
Additional details available on our online calendar. If you are interested in screening the film for your community or school group, please contact Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195. |
