Landowner Newsletter 2024

Your Land, Your Legacy

“The soil is the greatest connector of lives, the source and destination of all.”

—Wendell Berry

Up to one billion bacteria comprised of some 75,000 species can inhabit just one teaspoon of soil. When soil is devoid of these microscopic organisms, it cannot sustain life in the way that Wendell Berry so aptly describes in the quote above.

I think about this a lot in my job as the Adirondack Land Trust Farmland & Stewardship Specialist. By conserving farmland we are ensuring that productive agricultural soils will remain viable for production that can sustain our communities and local economies, and that's a big part of what motivates me to engage in this work.

In partnership with private landowners and other conservation partners, we have protected more than 28,257 acres of farms, forests, waterways, and wild places since 1984.

As a conservation easement landowner, you play an integral role in a hopeful story that will endure for generations to come. Thank you for your commitment to

land conservation and stewardship. We hope this newsletter serves as a useful resource and helps you feel connected to a broader community of like-minded landowners.

As a soil guy, I’m always up for talking about dirt, so please give me a call or send me an email any time. Should you ever have questions about your conservation easement, our staff is here to help (see page three for contact information).

Aaron Thomas Farmland & Stewardship Specialist

Our mission is to forever conserve the forests, farmlands, water and wild places that advance the quality of life of our communities and the ecological integrity of the Adirondacks.

Photos,thispage:©ErikaBailey

Landowner Resources

Sifting through available tools and resources to help with land management and planning can be a challenge. The following resources may be of interest to you, our conservation easement partners in the Adirondack region.

Moose image from a 134-acre conservation easement property in Essex County.

ARE YOU TAKING THE CREDIT?

You might be eligible for a refundable state income tax credit for having a conservation easement on your land.

To learn more, scan this QR code, search online “NYS Conservation Easement Tax Credit,” or call Chris Jage (518) 817-7660.

Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA)

Provides financing and technical assistance to develop farm plans; offers insights into supply chain information and market support to help farming businesses. adirondack.org (518) 891-6200

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP)

Offers best management practices, webinars, and other resources to help landowners address invasive species like the hemlock wooly adelgid and jumping worm. adkinvasives.com

AdkAction Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Sale

Sells carefully sourced native plants to improve wildlife and pollinator habitat while simultaneously beautifying your property. adkaction.org/project/adirondack-pollinator-project

Bird-Friendly Maple Project

Provides certification credentials to maple producers who manage their sugarbush in ways that support birds, forest health, and sustainable sap production. ny.audubon.org/conservation/bird-friendly-maple

Bobolink Project

Provides financial assistance to participating farmers who modify their mowing schedules so that grassland nesting birds can successfully raise their young. bobolinkproject.com

Cornell Cooperative Extensions

Every county has an extension office with helpful resources. In Clinton and Essex, they offer a range of technical assistance for farmland owners. Essex County: (518) 962-4810. Clinton County: (518) 561-7450.

Essex Farm Institute

This farm advocacy program of the Adirondack Council offers micro-grants to farmers for value-added conservation projects on their farms. (518) 873-2240.

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LarryMaster

Farmland Succession Planning

Educational video series about succession planning that puts conservation options into a broader context. Scan the QR code to see the videos.

Landowner Resources

New York Master Forest Owner Program

Provides private woodland owners with information and encouragement to manage their forests wisely.

https://blogs.cornell.edu /ccemfo/

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery

Produces tree and shrub seedlings for conservation plantings on public and private lands and offers an annual spring seedling sale. dec.ny.gov/nature/foreststrees/saratoga-treenursery/spring-seedling-sale

ForestConnect

Educational program of the forestry extension and applied research group at Cornell University and through Cornell Cooperative Extension. Videos: youtube.com/@ForestConnect Blog: cornellforestconnect.ning.com/ profiles/blog/list

How to Contact Us

The Adirondack Land Trust is honored to be your partner in land protection. Every conservation easement is unique to the property it covers and keeping the lines of communication open is an important part of working together to ensure our mutual conservation goals are being met.

Land trust staff are available yearround to answer easement-related questions.

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

Administers federal Farm Bill funding through cost-share programs to complete soil and water conservation projects on farms and working forests. (518) 561-4616.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Consult and help implement conservation practices on working lands, including writing AEM Farm Plans. Essex County: (518) 9628225. Clinton County: (518) 561-4616 ext. 3

Photos: American kestrel © Derek Rogers; staff images © Lisa Godfrey

A Conservation Commitment Carried Forward |

NeilandSadieMosleytakeanearlyspringwalkontheirproperty,whichhasbeenprotectedbyaconservationeasementsince2003.

In a narrow bay northwest of the Lake Champlain Bridge in Crown Point, mountains swoop down to meet water with such drama that it reminds Sadie Mosley of a Scandinavian fjord. Her husband, Neil, agrees, as they look from their kitchen window toward the bridge that connects New York with Vermont. Their firsthand knowledge of fjords comes from living in Norway, which is where they were in 2015 when Neil found the real estate listing online for what is now their year-round home in Moriah.

Their 50-acre tract features open fields that provide the only view of Lake Champlain from State Route 9 between Westport and Port Henry. Drivers regularly pull over to snap photos of the bucolic scene. Thanks to a permanent conservation agreement between the landowners and the Adirondack Land Trust, everyone who loves this view from the road can rest assured that it will be here forever.

The Mosleys are carrying forward a conservation arrangement put into place two decades ago by previous landowner Karen Lawaetz. In 2003, Karen sent a handwritten note to Adirondack Land Trust Executive Director Mike Carr that read, “You are doing a very great service to future generations as well as today.”

Karen’s connections to the land ran as deep as the deepest fjord and she wouldn’t sell to just anyone. Sadie and Neil first

had to “pass” her test to make sure that their values and intentions aligned with hers.

The Mosleys sought a farming lifestyle as a retirement goal, and after living abroad for many years, wanted to settle in a place that would be a draw for friends and family to visit so they could stay put. This property checked multiple boxes for them. Their interests passed muster with Karen.

Today, in accordance with no-till farming practices, a neighbor hays part of their field and pastures half a dozen heifers, which helps to keep the soil healthy. Broiler chickens aerate the soil and disperse nutrients left behind by the cows. The Mosleys are experimenting with growing Cascade, Chinook and Brewer’s Gold varieties of hops and are interested in getting them into the hands of local brewers. In a six-acre plot, they manage grasses and flowers for honeybees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinating insects.

Sadie and Neil are demonstrating what Karen knew all along: private land conservation requires good stewardship and, in turn, contributes to a greater good. This is especially true in the Champlain Valley where there are fewer acres protected compared to the rest of the Adirondack Park and farmland is as defining a feature of the landscape as the lake.

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Nancie

Battaglia

Champlain Valley, Moriah, NY