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Nature Conservancy’s Eastern New York Chapter Assists Mianus River Gorge Preserve with Critical Land Acquisition

Chapter Trustees Vote to Extend Funding to Protect Sensitive Wetlands

Mount Kisco, NY — June 11, 2007 — The Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy announced today that they will be assisting the Mianus River Gorge Preserve with the acquisition of 8 acres containing wetlands located in the town of Pound Ridge. This property, which is adjacent to other land in the 756-acre Preserve (plus 183 acres under conservation easement), is a NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) priority area that drains into the Mianus River. In addition, the parcel is part of the "Northeastern Westchester Watershed and Biodiversity Lands," a proposed priority project area in the 2005 DEC Open Space Plan.

This parcel has been on the Preserve’s priority list for years and negotiations finally evolved to a point where the owner is willing to sell the parcel at bargain sale prices instead of developing it. The purchase price will be less than half of the market value as determined by comparables.

In agreeing to support this acquisition, Trustee Chairperson Barbara Moss noted that, "This lot, if developed would severely impact the Preserve. The Gorge is renowned for its serenity and unique beauty, highlighted by its old-growth forests. The wetlands found here are very sensitive and may contain salamanders and other amphibians rare in Westchester County. Any construction on this lot would be at the head of the largest wetland and would be built on slopes that drain directly into the wetland."

Added Katie Dolan, chapter Executive Director, "Over 10,000 visitors walk the Gorge trails each year and the most common reaction is amazement that a place so wild and primeval can exist less than an hour from Manhattan and other suburban centers. Mianus was the Conservancy’s first land protection project back in 1953, and today we are again happy to lend a hand in its safekeeping."

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.