Why Winnakee is Committed to Saving Land
Year-end reflection on our vision for the unique landscapes and ecosystems that sustain us
By Bob Davis, Executive Director
The Hudson Valley is a beautiful place to live. Our natural landscape, the forest, fields and open spaces provide the background for everything we do and enrich our quality of life.
Winnakee works hard to inspire our community with programming centered around the irreplaceable landscapes we work to protect.
There is nothing quite so rewarding as stumbling upon groups coming to watch a sunset at Burger Hill, seeing birdwatchers using our lands or families gathering to enjoy fairy houses at Vlei Marsh.
When Winnakee was founded, development was the primary threat to these viewsheds we hold so dear. Today, even on lands already protected, we face unprecedented threats such as pests and pathogens, overabundance of deer, invasive plants and the effects of climate change on our ecosystem.
So Winnakee’s conservation strategies have evolved to meet these challenges and to ensure that the lands that sustain us remain intact and their ecosystems productive through active stewardship. We’re also using our properties as demonstration sites to teach landowners best practices they can take home to their own lands.
Winnakee is proudly becoming known for protecting some of the most unique and ecologically significant landscapes in our region.
We are thankful that our community cares deeply about this natural world on which we depend. Your support of Winnakee’s work helps safeguard these lands into the future so that the next generation will have the opportunity to benefit from and enjoy the bounty of our region.
