COMMUNITY PRESERVATION IN WARWICK

Presentation by RICHARD W. HULL
The Warwick Center
April 2, 2006

I think everybody in this room today is interested in preserving Warwick's remarkable countryside. In the last decade, we have managed to preserve many thousands of acres of land. Not just to keep Warwick beautiful but to make sure it has a viable economy, especially in farming, and to maintain the quality of our air and water resources, to stabilize the escalation in our taxes, and to find ways for private property owners to maximize the value of their lands while benefiting this and future generations of Warwick residents.

No other town in Orange County has so imaginatively, aggressively and successfully achieved these lofty goals. To put it bluntly, we are the envy of our neighboring communities and we are the leaders in this region in the field of community preservation. But I think it is important to emphasize that there is no one way, no single tool for preserving a community's land and historic resources. We have only succeeded through the cooperative efforts of a multitude of private voluntary and public sector entities working together, providing ideas, research, funding, and stewardship.

Warwick has benefited from generous, public-spirited individuals and families who have donated land and historic buildings and surrendered their development rights. Additionally, our elected representatives at every level of government have played essential roles in garnering matching funds. And we can also thank our farsighted taxpayers for voting on bonds and other tools for preserving these vital community resources.

Thinking just of our own town alone we've seen the historical societies of Warwick. Florida, and New Milford as well as the Warwick Conservancy save historically-important buildings and lands. The Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess conveyed the enchanting Lewis Woodlands to Warwick village, and we can thank the Orange County Land Trust for acquiring land and conservation easements over our major watersheds and forest lands . There's also the Appalachian Trail Conservancy that serves as a land steward for that wonderful federally-owned trail that wends its magical way across our town.

And let's not forget the Orange County Audubon Society which has taken title to the vast freshwater wetlands between Edenville and Amity and along our border with New Jersey. And can we thank The Trust for Public Land enough for helping us to acquire the huge Pochuck mountain tract. A vote of appreciation must also go to the Wallkill River Conservancy and Orange Environment which spearheaded the drive for our federal government to establish the pristine Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge.

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Scenic Hudson, the Nature Conservancy and Sterling Forest Partnership for their herculean efforts in transforming the Sterling Forest tract into a public park for the enjoyment of our natural wonders and for the preservation of our metro region's water and air resources. And what about the Highlands Coalition which has guided the federal government in its preservation of the Appalachian mountain range along our town's border with New Jersey?.

These are but a few private voluntary initiatives The State, county, towns and villages have been instrumental as well. Our county legislature acquired the huge Nielsen farm and transformed it into the Hickory Hills Park, and with great foresight it secured Glenmere Lake and adjacent Black Meadow wetlands for future drinking water needs. And of course we must recognize our own town, with its creation of an active recreational park on Union Corners Road and the beach fronts along Greenwood Lake, and Cascade Park adjacent to the Appalachian Trail. All these marvelous acquisitions were for many purposes: to preserve watersheds, walking and riding trails, hallowed or historic grounds, wildlife habitats, scenic vistas, areas for active and passive recreation.

So, now brimming with civic pride, you might well conclude that our ‘mission is accomplished' that our job is done and we can rest on our laurels and close the books on this wonderful chapter in Warwick's history. But in reality our journey is not completed. We must remember that our town is one of the largest in geographical extent in New York State, it is almost as large as our grossly-congested neighboring counties of Rockland and Bergen. Here in our town we still have approximately 23,000 acres of potentially developable land and we have hundreds of miles of lakes, streams, and vital aquifers to protect. We have several important historic structures and sites to preserve like the birthplace of one of America's greatest Secretaries of State, William Henry Seward, and a Lenape Indian meeting ground just north of Greenwood Lake. It is also imperative that we double our efforts to ensure the survival of our most productive farm lands which provide us with fresh food and family income. Yes, we've come a long way and we can be proud of our accomplishments but the job is only half done.

It must be emphasized that there can be no single source of funding. Indeed, capital must come from both the private and public sectors. An exciting and powerful new tool for securing land was made available to us only a few years ago in the innovative Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. The PDR program began in Suffolk County on Long Island exactly 30 years ago and has resulted not only in the preservation of open space but in its agricultural economy. We initiated the program a few years ago and it has resulted in the protection of more than 2000 acres of agricultural and other lands in our community alone. But now funds for PDR are running out just when many landowners are queuing up for consideration. So where do we go from here?

Thank you.

RWH