New York

The Fund has completed more than 25 projects that protect nearly 450,000 acres in New York state.

Historic Waterfront in Southampton, N.Y.

In 2010, our Land Trust Loan Program provided bridge financing to help the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund (NSWF) acquire a 3.4-acre property on Peconic Bay National Estuary in the Hamlet of New Suffolk. The land, which offers a sweeping view of Cutchogue Harbor and Robins Island, will become a place for recreational and cultural activities as well as waterfront access.

Once home to a busy port, a flourishing shellfish industry and site trials for the U.S. Navy’s first submarine, the New Suffolk waterfront has been a vibrant landscape for more than 200 years. When the property was targeted by developers to be converted into residential and heavy commercial use, the community rallied. In 2005, a group of concerned citizens established a 501(c)(3) organization, the NSWF, to purchase the property themselves in order to preserve it for the benefit of the community and future generations. To assist the fledgling organization, the Peconic Land Trust drew from its own revolving fund and other Trust assets to acquire the parcel in December 2007 and give the newly formed NSWF time to raise money for the property’s purchase. Our Land Trust Loan Program contributed the bridge financing that helped make the purchase possible. Read more about the project >>

Hudson River

Close to the headwaters of the Hudson River, dense forests and crystal-clear lakes beckon wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The river’s cold, clean water has meandered for centuries through this vast wilderness, feeding the lakes and inlets that characterize the Adirondacks. In 2005 we worked with the Bunting Charitable Real Estate Trust to secure donated conservation easements on two Essex County properties near the Hudson’s headwaters. Now more than 6,200 acres of wilderness here are protected.