“If we …dedicate ourselves to the long-term stewardship of this marvelous countryside, we will not only do a service to ourselves and each other, but to future generations.” — Chauncey D. Stillman (1907-1989)
From almost any vantage point at Wethersfield, the views encompass hundreds of acres of land under conservation. Thanks to the dedication of many individuals, significant land holdings in Amenia, Northeast, and Pine Plains have been protected. Chauncey D. Stillman would be so gratified.
In 1937, Stillman purchased two adjacent dairy farms on Pugsley Hill Road in Amenia and christened his new farm, Wethersfield. Over the years Stillman continued to add to his land holdings until the estate totaled more than 1,200 acres. Stillman was an early conservationist and environmentalist and while he created the formal gardens, a Wilderness Walk, and miles of carriage and riding trails, he kept Wethersfield Farm going as an active enterprise, raising crops and cattle.
The DLC accepted an assignment of the Wethersfield Farm conservation easement from American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national organization that, in an organization-wide strategy, transferred its easements to its local partners. It was originally granted to AFT in 1988 by Stillman, who was a staunch believer in preserving the rural character of the area, and one of the people who encouraged the formation of the DLC.
The addition of this easement completed a contiguous area of DLC-protected properties surrounded by over 7,000 acres of preserved lands.
