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Westchester Land Trust

$2.4M Scheme: Northern Westchester Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot $2.4M Scheme: Northern Westchester Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot
$2.4M Scheme: Northern Westchester Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot A former Northern Westchester town employee has admitted to allowing a business owner to illegally dump unauthorized material at an environmentally fragile facility in exchange for cash bribes, federal officials announced.  Verplanck resident Robert Dyckman, age 52, and Cortlandt Manor resident Glenn Griffin, age 55, both pleaded guilty to charges related to the $2.4 million scheme, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, Aug. 26.  According to federal officials, Dyckman, the former Assistant General Foreman for the Town o…
228-Year-Old Hudson Valley Farm To Be Permanently Protected: 'Iconic Local Institution' 228-Year-Old Hudson Valley Farm To Be Permanently Protected: 'Iconic Local Institution'
228-Year-Old Hudson Valley Farm To Be Permanently Protected: 'Iconic Local Institution' The oldest working farm in a Hudson Valley county, which dates back to the 18th century, will now be permanently protected from development.  The Ryder Farm, located in the Putnam County town of Southeast, will be permanently protected from non-farm development  by a conservation easement, the Westchester Land Trust announced on Tuesday, Oct. 10.  The 128-acre property, which dates back to 1795, is the oldest working farm in Putnam and has been an important part of agriculture in the region for nine generations.  Land Trust officials said that protecting the farm from d…
'A Beautiful View': Property In Northern Westchester Overlooking Hudson River To Be Preserved 'A Beautiful View': Property In Northern Westchester Overlooking Hudson River To Be Preserved
'A Beautiful View': Property In Northern Westchester Overlooking Hudson River To Be Preserved A scenic property in Northern Westchester that overlooks the Hudson River will now be permanently preserved for the public.  The property, located in Peekskill on Crompond Road (Route 202), was bought by the city from a private owner with the help of the Westchester Land Trust, which sourced donations for the purchase, according to an announcement from the organization from Friday, Nov. 4.  "The preservation of this property ensures that a beautiful view of the City of Peekskill and scenic Hudson River will be preserved forever," Westchester Land Trust President Kara Whelan s…
174-Acre Wilderness That Includes 'Great Swamp' To Be Protected In Hudson Valley 174-Acre Wilderness That Includes 'Great Swamp' To Be Protected In Hudson Valley
174-Acre Wilderness That Includes 'Great Swamp' To Be Protected In Hudson Valley A 174-acre parcel of conserved open space in the Hudson Valley will now be permanently protected. The Putnam County property, contained in Patterson, is located next to the already-protected Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area and includes ecologically important habitat and rare plants, the Westchester Land Trust announced.  One of these habitats is the 6,000-acre "Great Swamp," which is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state and serves as an important water source for New York City's water supply, according to the Westchester Land Trust, which now owns the propert…
Northern Westchester's William Kuebler, Photojournalist, Committed Environmentalist, Dies At 67 Northern Westchester's William Kuebler, Photojournalist, Committed Environmentalist, Dies At 67
Northern Westchester's William Kuebler, Photojournalist, Committed Environmentalist, Dies At 67 William H. "Bill" Kuebler, age 67, of Katonah and formerly of Chappaqua, died Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Northern Westchester Hospital surrounded by his family. Bill was born in Queens, to the late Harold Kuebler and Dorothea (Vermilyea) Kuebler. He spent his formative years and early married life in Chappaqua, graduating from Horace Greeley High School and Pace University. Bill was a career photojournalist, most recently working, until his retirement, at Gannett Co. for The Journal News. He experienced the world from behind the camera lens with excitement, curiosity, and humor.  A commit…
Stop & Shop Offers Free Reusable Bags At Stores Ahead Of Statewide Ban On Plastic Stop & Shop Offers Free Reusable Bags At Stores Ahead Of Statewide Ban On Plastic
Stop & Shop Offers Free Reusable Bags At Stores Ahead Of Statewide Ban On Plastic With single-use plastic bags becoming banned from New York retailers, Stop & Shop is offering customers a new alternative with free reusable bags. In an effort to ease the transition from plastic to paper when the ban takes effect on Sunday, March 1, Stop & Shop is offering to trade carryout plastic bags for free reusable bags (while supplies last). Beginning on Saturday, Feb. 22, Stop & Shop will have information tables set up at stores to answer questions about the upcoming ban. The tables will also have giveaway items, including a free reusable bag for every customer who bri…
Dominican Sisters Of Hope Preserve 34 Acres Along Hudson River Forever Dominican Sisters Of Hope Preserve 34 Acres Along Hudson River Forever
Dominican Sisters Of Hope Preserve 34 Acres Along Hudson River Forever The Dominican Sisters of Hope announced the preservation of 34 acres -- more than half the riverfront property known as Mariandale. Mariandale is owned by the Dominican Sisters of Hope and is situated along a stretch of the Hudson River.  The property is adjacent to the Village of Ossining’s 30-acre Crawbuckie Nature Preserve. Together, nearly one mile of uninterrupted Hudson shoreline now is protected in perpetuity. The property will continue to be owned and managed by the Sisters as a retreat and conference center.  Westchester Land Trust will hold the conservation easement, which prohi…
'Color of Water' Author James McBride Speaks At Pace Commencement 'Color of Water' Author James McBride Speaks At Pace Commencement
'Color of Water' Author James McBride Speaks At Pace Commencement James McBride, an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter is this year’s honorary degree recipient and speaker for Pace’s Westchester undergraduate commencement on Wednesday, May 16. Graduation ceremonies began at 11 a.m. on the Pleasantville campus, 861 Bedford Road. McBride is a teacher and native New Yorker, born and raised in the Red Hook housing projects in Brooklyn, and later St. Albans, Queens. He is the eighth of 12 children.  McBride went to New York City public schools. He graduated from Oberlin College, where he studied music and communications and he earned a master’s …
Westchester Land Trust Completes Easement to Protect Stuart’s Fruit Farm Westchester Land Trust Completes Easement to Protect Stuart’s Fruit Farm
Westchester Land Trust Completes Easement to Protect Stuart’s Fruit Farm Westchester Land Trust (WLT) closed a conservation easement on Monday, April 16 to protect Stuart’s Fruit Farm in Somers.  The project -- which took a decade to complete -- is valued at almost $3 million. WLT’s partners included New York state, Westchester County, Scenic Hudson Land Trust, the Town of Somers and Somers Land Trust.  The conservation easement blocks development rights on the farm’s 172 acres thereby ensuring the land remains available for agricultural use in perpetuity. In the absence of this conservation easement, the farmland could have been sold for residential developmen…
Pace Students Spend Spring Break Helping Storm Victims Pace Students Spend Spring Break Helping Storm Victims
Pace Students Spend Spring Break Helping Storm Victims Instead of partying and plenty of fun, 16 Pace University students spent their Spring Break helping residents still struggling to rebuild following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy more than five years ago. Pace University’s Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) organized the students who spent hours installing insulation, hanging drywall, sanding, sealing and painting rooms in homes in Marine Park, Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach, Queens.  The immersive learning experience included guest lectures about how race, class, disaster relief policy, cultural attitudes, and political atti…
David Swope, Westchester Business Owner, Philanthropist, Dies At 76 David Swope, Westchester Business Owner, Philanthropist, Dies At 76
David Swope, Westchester Business Owner, Philanthropist, Dies At 76 David Swope of Ossining, a prominent Westchester environmentalist, philanthropist, community leader and business owner, died Wednesday. He was 76. Among his many roles he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Westchester Community College in Valhalla, the Teatown Lake Reservation Environmental Education Center in Ossining, and the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. As a co-founder of Club Fit health and fitness centers in Briarcliff Manor and Jefferson Valley, he was a pioneer in the development of full service health and fitness membership clubs. He was also the owner of Tappan…