ACCORD – At last week's Rondout Valley School Board meeting, Board member Pamela Longley posited that, in recent years, the focus in this area regarding property has moved from acquisition — as exhibited in the pre-recession real estate surge, and corresponding higher property prices — to conservancy. Though an often frustrating short-term shift for many, in these challenging fiscal times, the far-reaching effects of conservancy in our area will serve to maintain its unique beauty and appeal, and should reap long-term benefits that are not only ecological, but financial as well. At the forefront of that movement, surely, is the ongoing preservation work of the Open Space Institute (OSI). In April, OSI added the 140-acre historic Appeldoorn Farm, located off of Route 209 in Accord, to their list of protected properties.

Part of the stated goal of OSI is "an effort to align the pieces of the landscape puzzle, preventing fragmentation, which disrupts key wildlife corridors, impairs water and air quality, and diminishes the beauty and scenery of natural areas." OSI Vice President, Bob Anderberg, adds that, in particular, the multi-faceted value of Ulster County cannot be overstated.

"It is one of the most, if not the most, beautiful regions in New York," says Mr. Anderberg, who over the last 39 years has spent a significant portion of his life in the region. The goal at Appeldoorn farm, and many other sites like it, is to both honor its historical value — Appeldoorn's property was first settled in 1722, by Benjamin Schoonmaker — and to maintain the integrity and functionality of the farmland.

"It's what we call working landscapes; farmland continues to stay on tax rolls, and continues to be owned and farmed by local residents," Mr. Anderberg explains.

Per OSI's, stipulations, however, the land cannot be subdivided for distribution, or commercialized.

"We're interesting in letting farmers do what they do best — farming," says Anderberg.

Mr. Anderberg makes reference to other, successful local projects that OSI has undertaken in the recent past: examples fostered by farmland protection program include the Brooks Dairy Farm on Tongore Road, and the Osterhaudt Farm on Route 213 in Stone Ridge, the latter of which raises Angus beef.

The ongoing OSI "A Ridge and Two Valleys" campaign, which targets continued preservation of the Shawangunk Ridge and the Wallkill and Rondout Valley basins, reaches well beyond preservation of farmland. For example, in 2009, OSI worked with the Wallkill Valley Land Trust to add 11.5 miles to the Wallkill Rail Trail. The goal is to create a continuous trail from Gardiner, through Rosendale up to Kingston — a move that helps both the ecology, and local business. An inter-municipal cooperative effort, including the towns of Marbletown, Wawarsing, Rosendale, and Rochester — of which OSI is also an active partner — plans to make similar improvements for the Rondout Valley's O&W rail, with the same goals in mind.

OSI continues to pursue conservancy in the region, work which should continue to have positive economic effects. As Mr. Anderberg enthusiastically states: "A healthy environment, which is attractive, is good for the economy as well."

For more information on OSI's work in New York, please visit www.osiny.org.