Conserving Hudson Valley forests is vital for the essential ecosystem benefits they provide for the survival of all life. Core forests – defined as interior forest areas surrounded by at least a 100-meter-wide buffer of edge forest habitat – are especially important for sensitive wildlife. The fragmentation of large forests by new roads and development eliminates core forest and is a leading driver of biodiversity loss as well as harmful increases in invasive species and tick populations.

Winnakee’s conservation strategy is to protect 10,000 acres of core forests, that are at least 500 acres in size each, in the next ten years. Areas of this expanse best provide sufficient habitat for a diversity of interior forest species and conserve the integrity of ecologically significant forest patches.

Lands bordering the region’s streams and wetlands play an important role in maintaining water quality and clean drinking water. Winnakee has identified several of the region’s most significant watercourses and made them a focus of our protection efforts. Our forests play a vital role in capturing, filtering, and supplying cool, clean water throughout the year. Conservation that protects and enhances high water quality also supports ecologically sensitive plants and animal whose population decline.

Important Areas include the specific locations where rare animals and/or rare plants have been observed, as well as additional habitat needed to support those populations. The New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) program has identified these areas of importance to help sustain these at-risk populations, and the ecological processes critical to maintaining the habitats of these rare animal and plant populations.

Significant natural communities provide habitat for rare plants and animals, support intact ecological processes, and contribute other ecosystem benefits. They are considered significant from a statewide perspective because they are rare or high-quality assemblages of interacting plant and animal populations that share a common environment. Natural communities in this data set include wetlands, forests, grasslands, streams, and other types of habitats, as well as ecosystems and natural areas.