PLT 2013
March 25, 2013 
News & Events from the Peconic Land Trust  
Happy Spring!
 
30 anniversary logo round
 



Join us in Celebrating
30 Years of Land Conservation
on Long Island!

Conservation Newsconservation
 
Stony Hill Stables Conservation, Amagansett:    
The Peconic Land Trust is working with Stony Hill Stables in Amagansett and the Town of East Hampton to purchase the development rights on this 10-acre horse farm and riding academy that has become a cherished community asset -- training multiple generations of riders in equestrian arts for over 50 years. The East Hampton Town Board approved a resolution in late February to split the purchase of development rights in combination with the Peconic Land Trust. The Trust is working with Stony Hill Stables to raise the funds to match the Town's contribution from the Community Preservation Fund. The total purchase price for the development rights on the property is $987,500.  Fundraising for this project is being led by the Trust's VP of Philanthropy Rebecca Chapman and Senior Project Manager Sara Gordon, who are working closely with Stony Hill Stables Foundation President Maureen Bluedorn. For more information, please contact Rebecca or Sara at the Trust's offices at 631.283.3195. Articles on this project can be read on 27east or the East Hampton Star's websites.  

 

On-going: Suffolk County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan Update:survey ground breaking at charnews
Thank you to all the farm operations that have participated in the survey that will assist Suffolk County in its update to the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. Haven't taken the survey yet? It is still available on our website or by calling Kim Quarty at 631.283.3195. 
  
Funding for the Trust's outreach work on behalf of Suffolk County 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 from the New York State Department of Agriculture. To learn more, please read the press release.  
 

storageOn-going: 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 in order to promote and advise on 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. For more information, contact Kim Quarty or Dan Heston at the Peconic Land Trust at 631.283.3195.

 

Legislative UpdateLegUpdate 
   
New York State Environmental Protection Fund -- Funding Increased for the First Time in Three Years to $153 million: The Peconic Land Trust joined with the Friends of New York's Environment and the charnews garden American Farmland Trust for two important lobby days in Albany as budget negotiations were being wrapped up. On both days, the focus of our conversations with legislators was funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) -- now in its 20th year and the primary source for State funds for farmland and open space protection, as well as a valuable source of funds for land trust development and education through the Conservation Partnership Program.

For the first time in three years, funding for the EPF was increased by $19 million to $153 million in Framework Budget Deal Announced on March 21.

The Peconic Land Trust joined with Friends of New York's Environment and American Farmland Trust in thanking the Governor, Senate and Assembly leaders and members of the Environmental Conservation Committees in the legislatures for their commitment to both conserving New York's air, water and land, and their focus on creating jobs through sound investment in worthwhile policies that benefit the entire state. Press release on the EPF  from the Friends of NY's Environment. The additional $19 million allocated to the EPF,  resulting in a total of $153 million for FY 2013/14 (over last year's $134 million) will come from the state's Bottle Bill (passed in 2009).

From the Governor's Press Release on NYS's Budget: "Protecting the Environment and Creating Green Jobs: The Budget increases support for the Environmental Protection Fund and the Cleaner, Greener Communities program, to launch new projects across the state that both create green jobs and protect New York's natural environment.

Specifically, $20 million is being allocated for Open Space Land Protection, $13 million for Farmland Protection and $1.575 million for the Land Trust Alliance Conservation Partnership Program, which supports land trust development and programs across the state (the Trust has received over $86,000 in grant funding from this program for seven projects since 2007). 
  
Cove Beach Cover Shot Special thanks go to our Long Island legislators for their commitment to the EPF, including Senate Leader Dean Skelos, Senators Ken LeValle, John Flanagan, Lee Zeldin, Philip Boyle, Jack Martins and Kemp Hannon, Assemblymen Fred Thiele, Dan Losquadro, Dean Murray, Steve Englebright, Al Graf, Philip Ramos, Michael Fitzpatrick,  and Andrew Raia and to Long Island's representatives on the Environmental Conservation committees: Senator Carl Marcellino and Assemblypersons Robert Sweeney (chair), Michelle Schimel, Andrew Garbarino, Joseph Saladino, and Harvey Weisenberg.
  
For more information and updates on conservation legislation, visit our website or the websites for the Land Trust Alliance or American Farmland Trust/NY. For links to your local representatives, visit our Public Policy page.

Now's the Time: Memberships memberships 
  • Quail Hill Farm CSA Membership. The Trust is taking applications for the waiting list of new memberships for the summer season (June through October). The waiting list opens on April 1. Interested? Contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19.  

    Watch: Saturday, April 6, Quail Hill Farm will be featured on Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa series on Local Food Heros. The Food Network at 11 am.  
  •  
  • community gardensAgricultural 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.   
         
  • fri at six crowdBridge Gardens Membership. Join Bridge Gardens today and receive free  admission to the
    "Conversations with . . ." series, to Rick Bogusch's Month by Month garden walks -- the first one on April 13 will be on starting your vegetable garden -- as well as admission to the Gardens all season long, including the 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 Activitiesupcoming2 

 

Plein Air Peconic at Dodds and Eder  

through October.   

Works of conserved landscapes by the painters and photographers of Plein Air Peconic will be on view through the summer at Dodds and Eder in Sag Harbor at 11 Bridge Street.  

 

The exhibition is on view now, and an opening reception is scheduled for May 18. Stop by and check out the works, which will be rotated

Plein Air Peconic Notecards:
a sampling of the farmscapes

throughout the season. A percentage of all sales of artwork will be donated to the Trust in support of our conservation work. The artists participating in the show are: Casey Anderson, Susan D'Alessio, Aubrey Grainger, Anita Kusick, Gordon Matheson, Michele Margit, Joanne Rosko, Tom Steele, and Kathryn Szoka.  

 

New Plein Air Peconic Notecard Series: Farmscapes 

A new series of notecards featuring farmscapes across the East End is now available for sale. The images -- 12 in all -- by artists of Plein Air Peconic depict iconic farm structures. The notecards are $12/box of 12. To order, please call 631.283.3195 or email to [email protected].  

 

The Gawler Sisters at Westhampton Performing Arts Center -- special benefit concert in support of our local public radio station -- WPPB, Peconic Public Broadcasting

April 20 at 8 pm  

Support all our friends over at WPPB at this special concert as these fun-loving, folk-singing, fiddle-playing sisters, Molly, Edith, and Elsie, joined by their parents and spouses, bring beautiful songs and stories from their roots in the heart of Maine. Edith Gawler will be joined by her husband, Sylvester Manor Educational Farm founder Bennett Konesni! Tickets are $35. Special VIP tickets are also available. More info online at whbpac.org.

 

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, two have been completed, but you can start at any time. Two workshops this April are: Nature Journal Sketchbook: 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 [email protected]

 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. We've had two great programs so far . . . plan to join us in April as we welcome: 

  • Sunday, April 7:  Avalon: A Journey through Land Reclamation with Katharine Griffiths  
  • Sunday, April 21: Why Not? Landscape Design & Sustainability  with Edwina von Gal  

All programs are at Bridge Gardens beginning at 2 pm. 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 April at:   
  • Apr. 20: Hampton Library in Bridgehampton will screen the film followed by a discussion at 2:30 pm.  
  • PlumTV: as part of its new documentary series, PlumTV is showing Growing Farmers on its channels across the US.

To date, we've had standing room only screenings and panel discussions on the film at the Quogue Library, with Apartment Therapy at ABC Carpet and Home, LongHouse Reserve, Sylvester Manor and with the Orange County Land Trust in Goshen, NY.   

 

If you are interested in screening the film for your community or school group, please contact Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195. Additional details available on our online calendar.

 


For more information visit our website at  

www.PeconicLandTrust.org or call 631.283.3195. 

         

. . . missed the deadline to donate to our 2012 Annual Fund? Get a jump on the new year and make a donation to our 2013 Annual Fund.  
Click here to donate today.

Please help us further reduce our carbon footprint.
If you change your address, or would like to receive all (or some) of your communications from the Peconic Land Trust by email, let us know!
Contact Janet Schutt, Systems Manager, at 631.283.3195 ext. 24
or email her at [email protected].
Thank you for all you do in support of conservation in our communities!

Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands, and heritage for our communities now and in the future.

To learn more, call us at 631.283.3195 or visit us online at www.PeconicLandTrust.org.
  
Financial Disclosure Statement: A copy of the last financial report filed with the New York State Attorney General may be obtained in 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.