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Woman gives 15 acres for nature preserve PATTERSON — Deliberately placing one sneaker-clad foot in front of the other, 77-year-old Mildred Luschinsky picked her way up a wooded hillside in Patterson. The moss-covered rocks and fallen trees she stepped over, and the oak branches and mountain laurel she brushed back, sat on land owned by her family for more than 40 years. Her destination was a granite boulder perched on the ridge top. The rock, which seemed as big as a cement truck, sat under a tall white pine tree. "This is nature, the combination of the rock, the sky, the pines and the fact that it's so high up here and you can look down," she said. And nature it will remain, for Luschinsky is donating about 15 acres of her property to the Putnam County Land Trust: Save Open Spaces Inc. Her land, which sits above Mendel's Pond, will join more than 400 acres owned and managed by the nonprofit trust throughout the county. Hunter Pollock, the land trust's president, joined Luschinsky on her hike one recent sunny morning. "There's almost like a guardian type of effect," Pollock observed. He was referring to the relationship between the tree and the rock, but he could have been talking about his group's role in preserving open space. Founded in 1969, the trust's holdings are sprinkled throughout Southeast, Carmel, Kent and Patterson — from Birdwood Preserve near Peach Lake on the Putnam-Westchester border to the Top Hill Preserve less than a mile west of Croton Falls Reservoir. It's an effort that hasn't gone unnoticed in a county that prides itself on providing a bucolic atmosphere. The trust has made immeasurable contributions to Putnam's future, according to one county leader. "Preserving open spaces will ensure our county retains its pristine nature for generations to come," Deputy County Executive Donald Smith said. Luschinsky's property will soon be surveyed. Then, paperwork will be drawn up, and the woodlands, ridge tops and rock formations will become the trust's 20th parcel. Pollock said the group's mission has been one of educating the public on the importance of open space. "We haven't preserved a tremendous amount of land, but we like to think we've helped from an educational and awareness point of view," Pollock said. "As you see more and more growth in the county, it becomes increasingly significant to tie in an overall plan of open space." As the trust enters its third decade, it faces two challenges — carrying on after the 1999 death of its well-respected leader, Michael Ciaiola, and weathering the debate swirling around a county open-space referendum. In between those tasks, the 350-member group is developing management plans for all its preserves and working on an interpretive program for the jewel of its holdings — the Ice Pond in Patterson. The trust is also negotiating to manage county-owned land in the Great Swamp. Ciaiola was a strong advocate for the protection of open space throughout Putnam, from preserving large swaths of the Great Swamp to saving smaller patches of forest. After an 11-year struggle, he helped acquire the 46-acre pond and surrounding wetlands in June 1999. The group's second president, he died of cancer on Christmas Day that year. Edie Keasbey, a trust member and Patterson resident, described Ciaiola as a "one-man show who worked very hard." Pollock agreed, citing Ciaiola's "insight and intellectualism" in protecting open spaces. "He did most of the work, and we sort of had to regroup," Pollock said. "Initially, it was a lot to live up to, but it's different now that the whole board is chipping in and communicating on all the issues." One issue facing the trust is the discussion of a countywide referendum on open space. Unlike in Westchester, where seven communities agreed last year to spend a total of $17 million to preserve open space, county legislators in Putnam have just batted around similar ideas for almost a year. Putnam lawmakers voted last summer against putting a $10 million referendum to buy land on the November 2000 ballot. They took up the issue again in January. Now, the Legislature is debating whether to ask voters if they want to spend an unspecified amount of tax money to purchase open space. Officials are also considering a proposal by County Executive Robert Bondi that would create a 50-50 financial partnership between the county and the towns to buy land. That approach probably wouldn't require a referendum, according to officials. "We definitely support open space, and obviously we encourage it in the county," said Pollock, standing just below a ridgeline on the western edge of Luschinsky's land. The shadow of a turkey vulture soaring above slid across the ground. "But we have no statement on the referendum issue," he added. Personally, Pollock said, a referendum would be a "Band-Aid" approach and not a long-term solution in a county that continues to grow in population. According to the 2000 Census, nearly 12,000 more people called Putnam home last year than in 1990, bringing the total population to 95,745. The county is the third fastest-growing in the state. Pollock said he would rather see a land bank formed in each town, which would be funded by a 3 percent property tax. The money would be used as each town saw fit, he said. If a town decided not to impose the tax, it wouldn't have the money to spend on land preservation. Taxes would be abated by open space, Pollock argued, because restricting development would decrease the need for infrastructure. "A lot of people have moved here for the rural qualities," Pollock said. "I think people would appreciate the ability for their children to be raised in a less-congested area." Luschinsky is selling her home and moving to Massachusetts to be with family. Through her kitchen window, she has seen foxes, deer, coyotes, rabbits and up to two dozen turkeys at one time parading through her yard. The donation and an additional easement prohibiting logging on the property, she said, will prevent those animals from being displaced by four-bedroom colonials. She hopes visitors to the property off Route 164 will feel the same immediate effect she did upon seeing it for the first time in 1960. "We came in and looked at it, and that was it," Luschinsky said.Putnam County Land Trust: Save Open Spaces Inc. will hold a benefit dinner and silent auction May 12 to raise funds for its activities. The evening will include a performance by musician and composer David Amram. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Green Chimneys Dining Hall, at the Green Chimneys school campus off Doansburg Road in Patterson. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased until Monday. For more information or tickets, call trust member Judy Terlizzi at 845-228-4520. Donations of items for the silent auction are also being accepted. |
