Staying open
The Two Farms Campaign aims to protect agricultural land

by Anne Pyburn New Paltz Times January 20, 2006

Lovers of open space and agricultural pursuits have a unique and historic opportunity to protect forever two farms -- totaling 180 acres and one mile of Wallkill riverfront -- on Huguenot Street. The approximately $1 million campaign is being led by the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and the Open Space Institute. The first farm is owned by Warren Jewett and the second farm is by Ron and Kate Khosla, who operate the Huguenot Street Farm CSA. Both owners have agreed to enter into land protection agreements that would guarantee these properties to stay open and used for agricultural purposes eternally.

The Open Space Institute, a non-profit organization based in New York City, whose mission is to protect scenic, nature and historic landscapes, has offered to match the dollar amount raised by the Wallkill Valley Land Trust towards preserving these properties. In other words, the Land Trust would have to raise approximately $500,000 and the OSI would then provide it with a second $500,000 to meet the $1 million cost of purchasing these conservation easements.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Bob Taylor of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust. "These two properties are cherished by New Paltz residents for their viewsheds, their agricultural and historical significance. We have two willing property owners who would like to see their properties farmed forever -- but we have to act definitively and quickly. They've both been approached by developers who have offered enormous sums of money to purchase and develop their properties. Any contributions folks can make now would last a lifetime and for generations."

The fundraising kick-off began this month and is already off to a strong start. According to Cara Lee, a member of the Land Trust and a resident of Huguenot Street who is helping to coordinate the Two Farms Fundraising effort, door-to-door canvassing and word of mouth have already led to approximately $80,000 towards the $500,000 goal.

"We received an anonymous challenge from a community member this month to match $25,000," said Lee. "And we were thrilled that we met that goal. We now have a second $25,000 challenge from another anonymous donor for the month of March. If we can raise another $25,000, they will match it. So we cannot rest."

Thus far, it has been the residents of Huguenot Street who have been the real foot soldiers for the fundraising project, going door-to-door with handsome brochures that explain the environmental, agricultural and historical value of the properties, and asking people to donate towards the conservation easements.

"We held a meeting in December where we invited everyone who lives on or near the street," said Lee. "The enthusiasm was incredible. Many of these same people made donations and have been going door to door. But now we have to reach out to the greater New Paltz community to solicit donations. Obviously the people who live on Huguenot Street know the value of these properties and enjoy them. But there are thousands of residents who enjoy this viewshed. They walk or bike or jog down Huguenot Street and cherish those agricultural views."

The Two Farms campaign will be holding various fundraising events including a major fundraising concert to be held on Earth Day, April 22.

In fact, during the town of New Paltz Open Space Committee public input and planning sessions, it was these two farms that continuously reached the top of the list of viewsheds the community wanted to preserve. "Whenever we asked people to come up with a priority list of what was the most important open space viewsheds or resources they wanted to protect, these two farms on Huguenot Street were at the top [along with the farms off of Butterville Road and 'the Flats' farmed by the Ferrante family]," said Taylor.

According to Taylor and Lee, the Huguenot Historic Society also has a stake in these properties as they are of great historical importance and were part of the original agricultural landscape when the Dutch and French immigrants settled and founded New Paltz.

"These farms are a real historical anchor to the street," mused Lee. "They are also critical to the Historic District. We have the collection of stone houses on one end and then several more stone houses dotted throughout the street and finally those two farms."

As Lee points out, the 180 acres of farmland lead directly into the Harcourt Sanctuary, a 50-acre reserve owned by the Huguenot Historical Society. The Harcourt Sanctuary and a portion of the two farms properties both lead into the village's Gardens for Nutrition. This potentially would lead to more than 240 acres of continuous preserved land within the village, along the Wallkill River and in the heart of the Historic District.

This is also the largest undertaking the Wallkill Valley Land Trust has ever launched. Typically, conservation easements are donated to the Land Trust, and the property owners, besides benefiting from knowing their property will rest in perpetuity as it is, also receive tax breaks. "This is quite different," said Taylor. "We've been working on this for years. It is such a large tract of land and so critical to the community of New Paltz to keep open and farmed that we felt we couldn't wait for a gift."

The way a conservation easement is purchased is that the land is assessed at the profits that could be made from a full build-out. Once all of the zoning restrictions and other sub-division restrictions are applied to that formula, the property is reassessed.

In this case, the Jewett property would remain exactly as it is with no future lots to be developed. The Khoslas will reserve the right to keep two lots, hidden from the view of the road, and the ability to put an addition on their existing home. "It's a win/win for everyone," mused Taylor. "The Khoslas have done such an incredible job with their CSA farm. I've visited there in the summer when people are going to pick up their produce and it's like a village green. It is a hotbed of agricultural activity, and there are people there with their children, their grandchildren in wagons, their dogs -- all talking and picking flowers and running around. It is delightful."

The money will allow the Khoslas to reinvest in their CSA and help Jewett finance his retirement as he is in his 70's. The return? 180 acres left forever open and farmed.
What Lee and Taylor point out is that what people see from the road is only the beginning. "That is just a small fraction of these two farms," Taylor noted. "It fans out to the south and the north and spreads along the Wallkill River all the way to the Gardens for Nutrition and the golf course. When you hike to Bonticou Crag and look down at New Paltz you will see this large tract of open land along the Wallkill River. That is the two farms!"

The Jewett farm is a 104-acre property currently in agriculture production mainly growing hay and corn. The land fronts on Huguenot Street and besides its rural beauty is notable for being the oldest, continuously farmed property in the New Paltz. Historically the farm was a dairy farm that supplied dairy products for much of New Paltz and served as a cooperative depot for other local dairy farmers. It has been owned by the Jewett family since 1911.

The Khosla farm is 77 acres of fertile croplands as well as wetlands and forestland that border the river. Ron and Kate Khosla run a 225-share, organic, community supported agricultural farm that harvests and distributes more than two tons of food every week during the growing season.

To make contributions, send a check payable to The Wallkill Valley Land Trust at P.O. Box 208, New Paltz N.Y., 12561. Earmark your contribution for the Two Farms Campaign. To learn more about the campaign, contact the Wallkill Valley Land Trust at 255-2761. All donations are tax-deductible.

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