Message from the President

I’ve now had the pleasure of being President of your Land Trust for two years and have been pondering the one most important message I want to share with you in this Annual Report. The background for this comes from a list of accomplishments we generated to prepare our video presentation for the virtual Annual Meeting. With just a first draft, we were at no less than 40 tangible accomplishments over the past year! We all know that RLT is involved in a wide range of conservation activities but I was really surprised at how many we found when we put them all in one place. So, what does all this have to do with my message?

The message I want to send is to amplify as much as I can that YOU made all the items on this list happen…you might not know much about some of the items, but YOU are responsible for their success.

And, taking that idea a bit farther, I want to encourage you also to amplify and let other people know what you, through your Land Trust, have achieved. You have provided support for years….. you’ve provided financial support…. you’ve responded as volunteers. Now, my most important message is for you to be sure and take credit for all you’ve achieved so far and will continue to accomplish in the future.   

Some of these accomplishments are large, some small… some readily visible and some behind the scenes, but they all are here now, and were not here before you, acting through your Land Trust, enabled these things to happen. So, when you read the Annual Report or receive our Emails or notice RLT mentioned in the news or view one of our informative videos, remember YOU made these things happen.

Along with success comes responsibility and in our case that takes the form of stewarding and maintaining the new properties we are engaged in. Our Year End Fundraising Campaign focuses on fulfilling this responsibility and I’m confident you will be generous with your support…after all….you always have.

Sincerely,
Bob Crowley, RLT President

From the Executive Director

Like so many aspects of regular life, many of your land trust’s 2020 activities were cancelled due to health and safety concerns from COVID-19 pandemic. What wasn’t cancelled was RLT’s commitment to get people outdoors and into nature. We kept your much-needed nature preserves open and available for respite and recreation throughout the year – which turned out to be vital after so many recreation facilities closed to visitors. We thank you for your patience and support as we navigate these challenging times. And we especially thank the heroic front-line workers who have been keeping us safe these many months.

Despite the pandemic, 2020 saw us making more land available for open space, habitat protection, and climate change mitigation with the opening of the 45-acre Featherweald Preserve in Buskirk, the acquisition of 57-acre Palmer Road Preserve in Schodack, and just before year-end the opening of the Empire State Trail parking area, also in Schodack. All have since become great places to get outdoors. We also worked closely with municipal leaders to identify land conservation opportunities in their communities.

As always, we thank you for continuing to support land conservation in Rensselaer County in 2020. Through your financial donations, volunteer time, and enthusiasm you have shown us how important conservation is to you. We are grateful for the chance to do this important work on your behalf.

We look forward to seeing you out on the trails and invite you to ask questions, make suggestions, and otherwise let us know how we’re doing.

With gratitude,
John Winter

• An overview of RLT's 2021 activities presented by Bob Crowley, RLT Board President and John Winter, RLT Executive Director. (4:50 minutes)
• Virtual tour of six land protection projects that became finalized in 2021 (see below for a list).
• The 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award presented to David Hauber.

• Anne Burton (2022 re-election)
• Carl Cipperly (2022 re-election)
• Nick Conrad (2022 re-election)
• Mary Greagan (2022 election)
• Shirley Greagan (2022 election)
• Bob Crowley, President (Officer, two-year term)
• Kristina Younger, Treasurer (Officer, two-year term)

Land Acquisitions and Public Property Openings

April 2021, New Conservation Easement on Papscanee Island Nature Preserve, East Greenbush
This 156 acre parcel along the east bank of the Hudson River, located on 9J, features walking trails, wetlands, and woodlands. Rensselaer Land Trust, the Open Space Institute, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, and Rensselaer County joined together to return this culturally important property on the Hudson River to indigenous ownership – and perpetual protection. In April, the Open Space Institute conveyed ownership of the 156-acre Papscanee Island Nature Preserve to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, while the Tribe simultaneously granted a conservation easement to Rensselaer Land Trust. Learn more HERE.

May 2021, Open House at Albany Hudson Electric Trail, Schodack
RLT's trail head and parking area in Schodack officially opened early this year during the winter months. We held a public opening in May to celebrate this popular new destination for bikers, walkers, and families in the Capital Region. RLT has committed to maintaining 6.5 miles of the trail by mowing and weed-whacking the shoulders of the path. Learn more HERE.

July 2021: Young's Bog Preserve expansion, Sand Lake
E. W. Birch Builders and Construction donated two parcels of land totaling 41 acres. Three acres will expand Young's Bog Preserve and a 38.5 parcel located across the street will eventually be another nature. We expect to add hiking trails and parking in 2022.

July 2021: Palmer Road Preserve Re-Opening, Schodack
This 57-acre neighborhood Nature Preserve, features a mile-long walking trail through woodlands with a branch of the Moordener Kill running through the property. Palmer Road Preserve was transferred to Rensselaer Land Trust late 2020 upon the voluntary dissolution of the Schodack Area Land Trust. During this past spring and early summer months our stewardship crew worked to clean-up and mark trails for the re-opening on July 31. Learn more HERE.

October 2021: Moon Hill, Petersburgh
The 191-acres Moon Hill property straddles the Taconic Mountains on its east side and the Taconic-Hoosic Valley on the west; and  contains a key part of the summit of the hill and forest corridors that link the Northern Taconic Forest with the Rensselaer Plateau Forest. Hill Hollow Brook, a remote tributary of the Little River also runs through the property. There is a high degree of biodiversity here, including several rare plants. The acquisition was supported by the Nature Conservancy's Climate Resiliency Grant Program. We expect to add hiking trails and parking in 2022.

Tamarac Road Land, Pittstown
In October we closed on the 82-acre Tamarac Road Property in Pittstown. This land was protected through NYDEC's Water Quality Improvement Program – a grant-based initiative to conserve through land acquisition, land in the Tomhannock Reservoir watershed and protect the quality of the drinking water source for 135,000 + people. The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance and the Agricultural Stewardship Association are partners in this program, a cornerstone of which is direct landowner outreach and education.

The Tamarac Road Property features 53+ acres of open space and 29+ acres wetlands. This property is forested and includes former agriculture land. The Sunkauissia Creek runs through the property.

Stewardship Activities

• In April we welcomed Marcos Velazquez as our new Stewardship Coordinator.
• Storm damage repairs at Staalesen Preserve (YouTube) and Kinderhook Creek
• Invasive species removal at Staalesen Preserve with corporate partners Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
• Added a memorial bench called "Sally's Rest" at Robert Ingalls Preserve, which overlooks the Black Creek. Named in memory of Bob Ingalls' mother.
• All the kiosks have been updated with new weatherproof informational panels.
• All public preserve trails have been clearly marked and measured so we could develop new trail maps.
• Donation receptacles have been added at several of our public preserves.
• Created a new maintenance plan for RLT's 6.5 mile stretch of the Albany Hudson Electric Trail. The maintenance coordinator is Tom Phillips, RLT board member.

Papscanee Island Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: www.andyarthur.org

RLT, the Open Space Institute, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, and Rensselaer County have joined together to return a culturally important property on the Hudson River to indigenous ownership – and perpetual protection. In late April, the Open Space Institute conveyed ownership of the 156-acre Papscanee Island Nature Preserve to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, while the Tribe simultaneously granted a conservation easement to RLT. Rensselaer County will maintain the preserve on behalf of the Tribe, which is now located in Wisconsin.

Located on the east bank of the Hudson River in East Greenbush and Schodack, the preserve features walking trails through floodplain wetlands and woodlands and is home to several endangered species. The land holds great cultural significance to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, which is part of the Mohican Nation. The property is known to contain significant archaeological resources from the time when the Mohicans lived there and from later Euro-American periods. We look forward to working with the Tribe and Rensselaer County on joint programming at the preserve. For more information see the following:

• Open Space Institute's story map
• Open Space YouTube Piece
• Media Clip: WAMC
• Media Clip: Times Union
• Media Clip: Indian Country Today

For indigenous peoples, ancestral land holds meaning beyond ownership. Papscanee Island is part of our homeland, and it’s interwoven into who we are. All of our songs and our stories and our language derive from our homeland and allow us to be closely connected to our ancestors’.
     - Shannon Holsey, Stockbridge-Munsee Community President.