The Department of Environmental Conservation awarded the DLC $350,000 to protect Rattlesnake Ridge in Amenia.
On a crisp autumn day, representatives of the Dutchess Land Conservancy, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Land Trust Alliance in New York gathered with landowner Jim "Cricket" Jacquier at his Laurelbrook Farm in Amenia for the announcement of the $1.26 million the DEC is awarding through their Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Program to fund five projects protecting forested land across New York State. The farm, nestled at the foot of Rattlesnake Ridge, afforded views of wooded slopes awash in the red, orange, and yellow hues of fall.
"It's great to be here to be able to understand the context and importance of this kind of project and New York forestland and conservation," said Katie Petronis, Deputy Director for Natural Resources with the DEC. "It supports a private landowner to do the incredible work that dairy farmers do in the state. And at the same time, it’s protecting so many species that live in those forests and forage in the fields here. Rattlesnake Ridge is a known home to multiple threatened and endangered species, including the Timber rattlensnake and the Indiana bat."
"Collectively, we're talking about a project that's protecting six hundred acres here," added DLC President Becky Thornton. "It's a really important sensitive forest - very important not only for habitat, but also for resilience."
When it closes, the conservation easement protecting Rattlesnake Ridge will protect the ecological qualities of the forest, including its upland conifers and hardwoods, as well as the clear, cool waters that roll down its slopes and crucial wildlife corridors.
"We have a responsibility," said Jacquier, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, "of making sure that this land is left better for the next generation that when I got it."
“We are grateful for the DEC’s support and leadership in protecting New York’s natural resources,” said Jamie Brown, New York Senior Program Manager for the Land Trust Alliance. “These grants will help to ensure that our forests remain healthy and vibrant for generations to come.”
October 24, 2024
