In the news: Daily Catch article

“Beyond Easements: Winnakee Builds a New Model for Active Land Management in the Hudson Valley”

On a Saturday morning in August, 15 volunteers gathered in the tall grasses of a recently acquired 140-acre Winnakee Land Trust preserve in the Town of Clermont. Working inside a one-acre deer enclosure, a fenced plot designed to protect saplings from hungry animals, the volunteers removed buckthorn, a stubborn invasive that had spread thickly through the understory. Every invasive they pulled opened space for young native trees. 

The effort reflects a new mission for Winnakee: restoring land it acquires in ways the conservancy hopes can serve as a model for the Hudson Valley, at a time when much of the region’s privately held land is poised to change hands. LINK TO FULL ARTICLE