NEW YORK, NY - December 21, 2006 - As 2006 comes to a close, the Open Space Institute is celebrating a year of success in the conservation field. OSI, together with partners across the East Coast, protected more than 14,000 acres of open space in 2006. Your support has made this possible, and we hope you will take a minute now to make a donation so that we can continue our work protecting cherished landscapes.
Here's a brief update on our 2006 accomplishments so far:
The New York Land Program protected open spaces in the Hudson River Valley, Shawangunks, Catskills, Capitol District and Leatherstocking regions worth more than $29 million. We acquired and conveyed a total of 8,805 acres of land this year, including an expansion of Minnewaska State Park Preserve with our joint venture partner, the Trust for Public Land; protection of an operating dairy farm in Orange County; and the preservation of 44 acres along the historic Beaverkill River in the Catskills.
The Conservation Loan Program provided critical funds that protected 5,200 acres from the Northern Forest in Maine to the Southern Appalachians in North Carolina, including land in New Jersey, New York, western Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We provided nine loans worth $8.5 million, protecting lands valued at $19 million and saving places such as Spectacle Pond in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, Cold Brook Watershed in Tewksbury, New Jersey, as well as expanding North Carolina's newest park, Hickory Nut Gorge State Park.
The Conservation Institute completed financial analysis of a 500,000-acre rezoning and development proposal in Maine's Moosehead Lake region; held two workshops on ecological forestry, reaching over 150 foresters across five states; and hosted a conference for Outdoor Writers to meet with leading wildlife biologists.
In New York State, all twelve proposed land conservation ballot measures passed, securing more than $781 million in funds. OSI worked as part of a consortium of land conservation organizations to educate the public on the measures, leading to the victories at the ballot box. In 2007, we will be working closely with several of the municipalities to ensure that this funding will be put to its best conservation use, leveraging the resources to preserve lands for the communities that demonstrated a strong commitment to open space for the future.
OSI has just approved a Strategic Plan that will help unify our efforts across all three programs, making our work more effective.
As long as we face environmental threats on the East Coast, OSI's work is not finished. We appreciate your support that makes our work possible and hope that you will join us in our efforts by contributing generously today.
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