THANK YOU to the MANY generous community members that took action this summer to help us reach our $99,000 fundraising goal to purchase the 76-acre property along Poesten Kill Creek in Troy and Brunswick. As we approached our September 1 deadline for the property sale closing, we had an unwavering response from passionate supporters who wanted this urban natural area protected. This is a huge victory for land conservation in our area, THANK YOU!

Rensselaer Land Trust and Rensselaer Plateau Alliance are now co-owners of this beautiful riparian and woodland habitat, the largest undeveloped forest block in Troy. This natural oasis is an excellent place to offer educational programs and recreational opportunities to our communities today and in the future.

Poesten Kill Bends is located along the south shore of the Poesten Kill and much of the area is floodplain of this mid-sized river. Protecting natural areas like this property is a climate resiliency* strategy that needs to happen locally and globally. Many southern coastal cities are evacuating this week in the face of Hurricane Dorian's destructive rains and flooding and even more close to home, many communities in the Capital District have been hit hard this past month with significant flooding from heavy rains and high winds. Extreme weather pattern changes are becoming our new normal–protecting natural areas like Poesten Kill Bends from development is a key solution in helping communities and nature adapt to our changing climate.

Thankfully we have the support of our communities to ensure our conservation efforts of today will be relevant in the years to come.

We have purchased and protected the Poesten Kill Bends, so what's next?

PHASE II

• developing a stewardship plan
• building a small parking lot
• monitoring a special place for all ages and a safe haven for wildlife.
• fundraising an additional $58,000 for infrastructure, stewardship, and staffing.

A local committee of community members are already actively making plans to steward the land. If you would like to be involved, please contact us by e-mail. We look forward to supporting the new committee at Poesten Kill Bends.

Here is a map of the area to give you an idea of where Poesten Kill Bends is located in Troy and Brunswick. We also have a short video tour at our YouTube channel, which was created this past spring to give you a visual tour today!

Please, feel free to contact John Winter, Excutive Director with any questions you might have about this project.

* Climate resiliency is the ability of an ecosystem and its plants and wildlife to cope with the changes caused by gradual increases in temperature, changing rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and the effects of more severe and frequent storms.

Rensselaer Land Trust has developed a Rensselaer County Conservation Plan that is serving as a “greenprint” of land and water conservation priorities in Rensselaer county. To learn more and view our storyboard click HERE.

DONATE TO PHASE II ––THE POESTEN KILL BENDS RLT/RPA LAND FUND TODAY!