And there’ll be the chance to see all those people coming back who helped make this treasure a reality, along with the opportunity to alert them and everyone else who comes to the work the WLC is still doing, more passionately than ever according to its director.
The hiring of Lopez-Mena was one huge step all on the WLC board are proud of, given her background and deep ties to the community, says longstanding land conservancy chair Kevin Smith.
But there’s so much more: plans to create a functional flood plain project for the town, in which ways of better mitigating the effects of climate change can be actively studied; more habitat protection for Monarch Buterflies and various birds; and the building up of an innovative new agricultural project to explore new ways of rebuilding the area’s local foodshed.
“We’ve got some of the richest agricultural soils in New York State on lands at the Thorn Preserve we’re protecting in partnership with the Catskill Center,” Smith said. “We’re also moving forward with land easements and purchases on Mt. Guardian, working to protect its ridgeline, and building on existing partnerships at the Comeau property, and with Transition Woodstock and the Woodstock Farm Market.”
Moreover, both he and Lopez-Mena and other board members spoken to agreed, was the land conservancy’s ongoing mission to heed its members’ wishes and provide greater trail access throughout the area.
“As part of our Vision 2020 stratgic plan put together a few years ago, we decided it was imperative to keep an eye on the effects of climate change, working towards mitigation as best we could, and do all we could to get people in direct contact with nature,” Smith added. “Alongside more work with local agriculture, habitat protection, and increased partnerships, we found ourselves tremendously excited about the vision of a rail trail being built on the underutilized U&D railroad path linking to a Kingston hub, and our own Woodstock trails.”
Serious full time work
Lopez-Mena said that what’s impressed her most since she’s come on board as the Woodstock Land Conservancy’s executive director has been not only the strength and ambition of the organization’s mission, but the passion and can-do attitudes of all its board members, who actually make it possible to achieve all the WLC sets out to do.
“This is a serious working board with everyone putting in an effort that’s equal to their full-time jobs,” she explained. “All told — and I’ve worked my life in non-profits — this is the biggest small organization I’ve ever encountered anywhere.”
Lopez-Mena added how she’d long admired the WLC before the chance came to work with it, especially as an opportunity for Woodstockers to really work for the betterment of their community.
Getting back to Saturday, August 9, as well as the Monday, August 11 star-gazing evening in the Cornfield, when the Perseid Meteor Showers will be visible if its clear (starting around 9 p.m.), she said the low-key side of what was planned excited her.
“Just seeing the cornfield full of people, having a good time, will be a delight,” she said. “But I’m also looking forward to the blessing, as well as the chance that this will get people making three year pledges to what we do once again, seeing what we’ve done. This work is important, but it takes money for appraisals, attorney fees, monitoring costs, and much more.”
The Land Conservancy reminds folks to beware of poison ivy on the edges of the 22 acre field come Saturday…and look for ticks on getting home.
For more on the big event Saturday, August 9 starting at 1 p.m., and the Woodstock Land Conservancy and all it does, visit www.zena25.com, check out the WLC’s Facebook page, or visit ulsterpub.staging.wpenginelandconservancy.org.
