MHLC is thrilled to share the news that we were awarded a $104,609 grant through the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) Grant Program to purchase a conservation easement in the town of Esperance that will protect 102 acres of mostly forested land. This success allows MHLC to begin the protection process.

The grant program, managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in partnership with the Land Trust Alliance, is aimed at helping land trusts protect localforests that are key to achieving the state's objectives to protect open spaceand reduce the emissions that cause climate change.

The 102-acre property, Saipua - Worlds End Farm, is managed as a small-scale diversified homesteadfarm. With a farming space of less than half an acre, the landowner iscommitted to using the property for environmental education and as a catalystfor additional future forest protection in an area under increasing developmentpressure.

The land is located withina "pinch point" of climate resiliency and wildlife movement thatconnects the Adirondacks with the Catskills. The forest contains a wide varietyof species, including red pine, mature Eastern hemlock, birch, aspen, andhealthy beech trees. The land offers breeding habitat for several birds listedas "species of greatest conservation need," including Americanwoodcock, American kestrel, eastern meadowlark, and bobolink.

You can learn more about Saipua and Worlds End Farm on their website.

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