Support Pure Catskills
When farms thrive, our communities benefit in many ways. Pure Catskills farms are located in the region that protects clean drinking water for 9 million New Yorkers. These farms grow and harvest crops as part of a world-renowned innovative partnership focusing on healthy, working farmland and the water protection practices it takes to keep streams and reservoirs safe.
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Watershed Agricultural Council
CONSERVATION EASEMENT STEWARDSHIP FUND
Protecting farmland, clean water and a way of life – these are the ultimate goals of the Conservation Easement Stewardship Fund. Through conservation easements, the WAC – in partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection – conserves farmland as part of a long-term strategy to insure that the watershed landscape remains green and protective of water quality.
The Community Benefits of Easements
Having an easement increases the options farmers have, such as potentially transferring ownership of their land to another farmer, as opposed to losing it to undesirable development.
The WAC conservation easement protects water quality, while supporting farming and forestry through land conservation.
Watershed communities benefit from conservation easements that set aside fertile land for food production.
City residents benefit also, as conservation easements assure that sprawl will not degrade the Catskill landscape or their drinking water supply.
What is Easement Stewardship?
“Easement stewardship” is about WAC working with the landowner to ensure that the terms of the easement are upheld. Stewardship includes:
- annual meetings with the landowner,
- aerial photography by WAC, and
- property visits to affirm the easement’s objectives are being met.
Why Should I Give to the WAC’s Stewardship Fund?
The interest generated by the Conservation Easement Stewardship Fund will ultimately enable WAC to do this work in perpetuity. The Fund goal – $10 million over the next 10 years – will allow the WAC to perform its stewardship obligations independent of other funding sources.
Your donation to the Fund benefits the inhabitants of, and visitors to, the Catskill Region by:
- Protecting regional public health through assisting with maintaining good water quality,
- Preserving the Catskills’ rural character that residents and visitors appreciate, and
- Fueling the local economy through farm and forest enterprises based on our most precious assets – clean water and working landscapes.
Your generosity will also be multiplied by a factor of “two,” as the Department of Environmental Protection is providing an ongoing two-to-one match to the WAC Easement Stewardship Fund.
Donate Today for Tomorrow's Farm and Forest Land.
A copy of the Watershed Agricultural Council's latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from the organization or from the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
Fresh From...
Pick a Catskills county below for a directory of farmers' markets, u-picks, farmstands, and harvest festivals featuring locally grown fruits, vegetables, maple and honey products, herbs, and more!
