Orange County Land Trust to host fundraiser
Warwick. The Aug. 10 fundraiser at Warwick Valley Winery will support Orange County Land Trust’s conservation efforts.
| 01 Aug 2023 | 10:44
Sugar Loaf Mountain from Wickham Lake shoreline. Purchasing the Sugar Loaf Mountain property is one of Orange County Land Trust’s many projects. File Photo by Stephen Keahon
The Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) will host its “Celebration for Conservation” at the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery on Thursday, Aug. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m.
This event will take place on the winery’s outdoor patio and features a farm-to-table buffet, wine and hard cider, live music by Dave Reiss, and more.
All proceeds from the event support OCLT’s mission of conserving Orange County’s wilderness, watersheds and working farms.
The group recently accomplished the completion of a conservation easement on a 152-acre farm in the Town of Montgomery.
“Some of our current projects include the purchase of the Sugar Loaf Mountain property and the protection of the (over) 500-acre Boehmler Pond property in the Town of Deerpark, which would further safeguard the City of Port Jervis’s drinking water supply and expand recreation in the Port Jervis Watershed Park,” said Jeremy Scheider of OCLT.
Bill Schuster, past Executive Director of Black Rock Forest in Cornwall, will also be presented with the 2023 Louis Mills Conservation Award at the Aug. 10 event for his contributions and dedication to scientific research, environmental education, and conservation efforts.
Schuster’s tenure at Black Rock Forest had many notable achievements, including leading a $2.4 million campaign to construct 18,000 square feet of “green buildings,” which became the Black Rock Forest Science and Education Center and the Black Forest Lodge, with state-of-the-art geothermal heating.
“He implemented science-guided ecosystem management and stewardship at the Forest, which facilitated the reduction of deer populations to sustainable levels, benefitting both the ecosystem and deer health,” Schneider said. “This also resulted in successful tree regeneration for the first time in 40 years and contributed to regional dialog on restoring ecological health.
“He also developed collaborative K-16 environmental education programs, directly integrated into school curricula, reaching more than 275,000 students to date, which is central to Black Rock Forest’s mission,” added Schneider.
Tickets for the OCLT fundraiser are $130 and include dinner, dessert and drinks. The winery’s covered tent space will be utilized in the event of rain.
To purchase fundraiser tickets or to become an event sponsor, visit www.oclt.org.