Local Land Stewardship is a Global Climate Solution
By Todd Waldron, Senior Program Director
I have always loved being in the woods in late September. Growing up, countless early-Autumn weekends were spent with my grandparents on their 45-acre woodlot along the Hudson River (pictured above). They purchased this maple, pine, and birch forest for $800 way back in 1951, and it was a foundational part of our family’s connection and commitment to each other. Our land was a haven for song birds and wildlife, a quiet place of respite and contemplation, and a working woodlot where all of us gathered when it was time to cut next winter’s wood. Every September, it offered up the twelve cords of maple, ash, and oak that heated my grandparents’ home. Here, under a dappled canopy of colors, was where I learned how to love trees. This was the crucible that forged my conservation ethic.
Late September is also a time when people from all over the world gather in New York for Climate Week NYC, which hosts over 900 events annually and is designed to amplify and transform our shared climate ambitions into action. It is where big things happen. But climate action is not just happening on the bustling streets of Manhattan. It is happening in the forests, wetlands, parks, and communities of the Hudson Valley, where over 2.1 million residents live, work, and recreate—and where Winnakee is hard at work protecting our beloved landscapes, restoring key ecosystem services, and connecting people to land.
While Climate Week NYC spotlights global pledges and high-profile initiatives, Winnakee is bringing our mission to life at the local and regional level across Dutchess County and beyond. There are so many challenges associated with forests and sustainability and climate change that knowing how to support action around climate change can seem daunting at times. We need to think globally while advancing multi-faceted conservation programs that are collaborative, local, and rooted in science and community values.
That is precisely where Winnakee Land Trust’s “Protect, Connect, Activate” mission shines and it is why I am honored to work with the Winnakee’s wonderful supporters and volunteers to advance our mission:
- Protect: Permanently conserving forests, wetlands, treasured open spaces, and water-rich landscapes that buffer climate impacts and sequester carbon.
- Connect: Engaging our community with trails, education, and stewardship opportunities.
- Activate: Restoring biodiversity, improving habitat quality, and sustainably managing our forests for today, and for future generations.
By preserving climate-resilient landscapes, Winnakee is not just conserving land, its safeguarding people, wildlife, and the cultural fabric of the Hudson Valley. Climate action is happening on a world stage, but thanks to our amazing supporters and volunteers like you, it is also happening at properties like Winnakee’s Vlei Marsh and Dutchess Gables.
This year, as Climate Week NYC unfolds on the global stage, let us remember that climate solutions are envisioned in board rooms, universities, and offices, but these solutions are rooted in conserved wetlands that absorb floods, forests that capture carbon, trails that connect communities to the land—and to each other. The Hudson Valley is a microcosm of the global climate fight—and teams like Winnakee are proving that resilience begins at home.
How can you get involved and support Winnakee’s mission to protect, connect and restore landscapes and people across the Hudson Valley?
Contact Todd Waldron at thwaldron@winnakee.org.
Join Todd at one of Winnakee’s upcoming Landowner Events:
