The Westchester Land Trust recently acquired 31 acres of undeveloped land in Putnam Valley through a donation.
The land will be renamed the O’Connell Boulder Field Preserve after William O. O’Connell, whose estate donated the property.
“What makes it really fascinating is that it is part of the Peekskill Hollow Brook,” said Tom Gabriel, development director for the Westchester Land Trust. “Protecting that land and part of that system is pivotal,” he said, because it is directly connected to the Peekskill and Cortlandt drinking water supply.
Of the 27 preserves in the care of the Westchester Land Trust, 11 are open to the public, Gabriel said, and the O’Connell Boulder Field Preserve could be added to the list of public properties.
“This particular preserve has the ability or the potential for a 1.5-mile trail,” Gabriel said, and the trust is considering a plan to create one.
A conservation easing agreement will be filed with the trust’s conservation partner, the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, to allow for permanent protection of the property.
