Land trust waits and watches for state budget
The sun shone brightly and more than 200 guests were upbeat and congenial at the Orange County Land Trust”™s benefit dinner at the Falkirk Golf Club in Central Valley May 28.
Honorees included the Greyston Foundation, Berman Field Foundation, Richard and Rebecca Evans Foundation, Land Family Foundation, Harold and Carol Levine Memorial Fund and Jacques and Florence Levine Charitable Fund: “People and organizations who have really made a difference to the quality of life in Orange County,” said OCLT”™s president, Mary Yrizarry.
The event”™s silent auction helped raise $70,000 for Land Trust endeavors. “But right now, things are rather at a standstill,” said Jim DeLaune, executive director of the land trust, when the party ended.
“We”™re glad the governor decided against closing down the park systems and trails and from decimating the Environmental Protection Funds. We lobbied hard to reinstate it,” said Delaune. “We rely on EPF funding for acquisitions, farmland protection and to support the state land trust alliance program.
“We can”™t look to any of the former funding sources for land protection because the budget has still not been passed,” said Delaune. “We don”™t know how much will be there, or if anything will be there when Albany finally gets done.”
Paterson did reinstate the EPF funding: “It is now $134 million in the new budget; it was $212 million last year,” said DeLaune. “But we are waiting and watching, because that $134 million is a line item on the budget.” At press time, the budget had not been adopted.
The anticipated accessible trail in Hamptonburgh, planned to be user friendly for the disabled, has been suspended.. “We are holding some of the money waiting for the Department of Environmental Conservation issue over the wetland portion to be cleared up. We are still enthusiastic about the trail, but the right now, we are working to see if we can resolve these issues with the DEC. We do want the trail finished, and we know there”™s a lot of support for it.”
A conservation easement involving Lane Farm in Minisink as well as another 109-acre parcel in the town of Goshen the Trust is working on protecting, keeps Delaune optimistic. “People still care about preserving the beauty of Orange County, even if money is tight and we don”™t know what”™s going to happen with Albany. It”™s always better to remain on the side of optimism.”
Delaune is getting ready to close on another 40-acre parcel at Arrow Park. The trust has already acquired more than 350 acres on Orange Turnpike in the town of Monroe. A permanent park for those who have had a traumatic life experience is planned for the former summer colony. “Everything is being done a little bit a time,” said Delaune. “Like everything else, it”™s a process, and the economy is not helping anyone.” ?The land trust continues focusing on community gardens in the county”™s three cities.
“Fencing is already going up at David Moore Heights in Middletown for a community garden and we”™re doing the same on Chambers Street in Newburgh,” DeLaune said.. “Organic soil, seeds and fencing and building materials are also on their way to Port Jervis for the same purpose.”
Delaune said the public shouldn”™t underestimate the positives of inner-city residents taking advantage of weeded lots and turning them into urban gardens, not just to beautify neighborhoods but to instill a sense of community pride.