Working Farm, Hudson River Tributary Saved by Leading Land Conservation Groups

(COLUMBIA COUNTY) - In a move that preserves an important scenic area and a historic working farm, Scenic Hudson and The Nature Conservancy on Dec. 20 formally completed a permanent conservation agreement with the owner of a 167-acre farm in the Town of Stuyvesant, Columbia County. The agreement covers a property known as Hollow Road Farm and will forever protect this bucolic, agricultural landscape from inappropriate development. The arrangement also helps support a strong agricultural economy in the area.

A sheep farm for more than 25 years, Hollow Road Farm features valuable agricultural soils and important natural areas, including steeply wooded ravines and a mile of frontage on Mud Creek, a Hudson River tributary. Under the conservation agreement, the working farm will remain intact while water quality in Mud Creek and important wildlife habitat will be protected. In addition, Hollow Road Farm contains 1,800 feet of road frontage, contributing heavily to the town's rural, historic and scenic charm.

This acquisition adds to over 620 acres already protected by The Nature Conservancy in the Mill Creek watershed, which includes Mud Creek. Locally, The Nature Conservancy has protected 525 acres with two conservation easements, one project being a collaboration with Scenic Hudson. Also in this watershed is the Conservancy-owned 95-acre Lewis A. Swyer Preserve at Mill Creek, in Stuyvesant. Accomplished through a collaboration with the Columbia Land Conservancy, this property contains a freshwater tidal swamp. A freshwater tidal swamp is formed only rarely, requiring a river bed close to sea level for a long distance from the mouth of the river. At 120 miles up the Hudson River from the sea, the daily tides change the fresh water level in Mill Creek by more than four feet. The Swyer Preserve contains a half-mile long boardwalk from which visitors can stroll through the wetlands and observe the diverse collection of species that flourish here.

ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PROTECTED 37,500 ACRES OF LAND THROUGHOUT VALLEY
Hollow Road Farm is the eighth working farm in the Town of Stuyvesant protected by Scenic Hudson since 2001. The organization has preserved more than 2,635 acres there in an effort to sustain the community's agricultural heritage. Valleywide, Scenic Hudson has guaranteed that more than 22,500 acres of land will never be subdivided for development. In addition, The Nature Conservancy's Eastern New York Chapter has protected over 15,000 acres of land throughout the Hudson Valley

"This is great news for this Columbia County town and its strong commitment to being an agricultural community. But it also is a victory for all Hudson Valley citizens. Farming provides an important local food supply, it's a foundation of our economy and it contributes heavily to the beauty of our unique natural environment," said Steve Rosenberg, senior vice president of Scenic Hudson.

According to Katie Dolan, executive director of the Conservancys Eastern New York Chapter, "The chapter's conservation action plan, created with a host of Hudson River partners last year, confirmed the critical importance of protecting the estuary's tributaries and the lands that abut these streams. We are thrilled to be part of an effort that simultaneously maintains critical habitat, protects farmland and ensures open space along the Hudson."

"I'm pleased to join several of my neighbors in preserving productive agriculture and in protecting the rural character of Stuyvesant for the enjoyment of generations to come," said Joan Snyder, the farms owner.

Major support for Scenic Hudson's part of the acquisition came from the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Hudson Valley Land Preservation Endowment. The Nature Conservancy is pleased to acknowledge support from The Hudson River Estuary Grant Program (administered through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) Iroquois Gas Transmission L.E.A.F. Program and a generous private donor.