Westchester Land Trust Inc

Westchester Land Trust (WLT) is a regional conservation organization that conserves and cares for land in urban, suburban, and rural communities located in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties of New York. Its land preservation efforts serve the public by protecting drinking water supplies, climate-resilient lands, trails for passive recreation and scenic enjoyment, wildlife habitats, farmland, and urban green spaces, such as community gardens and pocket parks. - continued on Schedule O -Since 1988 WLT has preserved more than 9,300 acres of open space, and 20 miles of hiking trails in 29 communities. WLT has protected parcels of land ranging from a quarter of an acre to over 600 acres. In 2024, WLT preserved an additional 85 acres across two projects. Community members enjoyed thousands of visits to WLT's preserves in 2024. Fourteen WLT nature preserves are open to the public year-round and free of charge. The remaining preserves serve as wildlife sanctuaries that are not open to the public. WLT partners with the State of New York, Westchester and Putnam counties, private landowners, and municipalities to acquire and care for land.WLT is committed to community education about the protection of natural resources, wildlife habitats, and sustainable agriculture. WLT collaborates with dozens of national, regional, and local organizations on programming and projects to help advance its mission. WLT's mobile education program, the Pollinator Pop-Up, appeared at 21 events in 2024, allowing WLT to connect with more than 1,600 community members about environmental topics. WLT's headquarters, Sugar Hill Farm, is the site of a half-acre organic garden, where vegetables are grown and distributed to local food pantries. Since its founding, more than 84,500 servings of fresh produce have been donated to families in need of food. Volunteers are the backbone of WLT's work. In 2024 volunteers donated more than 940 hours of their time to support WLT's land protection and community engagement programs. WLT's protected lands are home to more than 1,300 species of native plants and animals. In addition to proactive land protection, land stewardship is an important component of WLT's mission. WLT regularly conducts land management and habitat restoration projects on publically accessible lands that it owns or holds conservation easements on. In 2024, WLT contracted with youth conservationists to help launch a landscape-scale forest health project spanning all its preserves. WLT also employs summer conservation apprentices as part of its conservation career development program.