Celebrating 40 years of conservation
This year, CLC celebrates everything our volunteers, partners, and supporters have achieved conserving Columbia County’s farms, open spaces, and important habitats. Together, we’ll shape the next forty years – and beyond.
Celebrating together
Check out the calendar of events to find out how we’re keeping the party going all year long, and how you can be part of making the next forty years even better!
Looking ahead with anticipation
CLC and partners already conserved over 60,000 acres of land – about 15% of the county. These include national and state historic sites, state parks and forests, wildlife management areas, municipal parks, public lands managed by CLC, and private properties that have been voluntarily protected by conservation-minded landowners.
To guide the next forty years and beyond, this year, CLC is excited to unveil the completed Plan for Columbia County. This plan, grounded in community feedback and the best available scientific data, calls for CLC to pursue three ambitious strategies: conserving 30% of Columbia County’s critical habitats by 2035, supporting conservation partners, and catalyzing 2,500 acts of caring for the land each year.
Looking back with appreciation
1985
Michael Grun pens a letter to the editor, “Why not a Taconic Conservancy?”
1986
Volunteers start meeting and form the Columbia Land Conservancy.
1990
CLC conserves first thousand acres of land with permanent protections.
1991
Supporters celebrate CLC’s fifth anniversary with the first Shad Bake at the Roe Jan Boat Club.
1994
Greenport Conservation Area is officially open to the public!
1995
CLC opens Drowned Lands Swamp Conservation Area. Sheldon Evans creates Walks by Protected Land book.
1996
10,000 acres have been protected with conservation easements!
1998
CLC partners with Borden’s Pond Preserve group to raise funds to protect the forested area just outside Chatham Village.
2000
CLC opens Hand Hollow Conservation Area in New Lebanon, launches education program, and hosts first-ever Pancake Breakfast. Several farm families partner with CLC to protect nearly 2,000 acres.
2004
Ooms Conservation Area in Chatham opens! CLC holds over 150 education programs for
over 3,500 attendees, and 183 volunteers contribute 1,869 hours of support.
2006
High Falls, home to Columbia County’s highest waterfall, opens! More than 1,000 people attend the Country Barbecue.
2007
CLC receives a grant to construct an Access for All trail at Greenport, the first such trail in the upper Hudson Valley!
2008
The Schor Conservation Area, named for former trustee Jonathan Schor, opens in Red Rock. CLC also passes a major milestone – 20,000 acres of conserved land!
2009
Two new properties – Siegel-Kline Kill in Ghent and Round Ball Mountain in Ancram open to the
public. The Farmer-Landowner Match Program is created.
2015
Over 1,000 acres of farmland are conserved thanks to nine families.
2016
CLC learns that Columbia County is home to a critical multi-state wildlife corridor – the only one like it east of the Rocky Mountains
2017
A new property in Austerlitz, Harris Conservation Area, opens to the public!
2018
The Overmountain property in Ancram (which includes the former Round Ball Conservation Area) officially opens!
2019
With the help of over 300 community members, CLC and partners raise $1.5M to purchase Thompson-Finch Farm.
2019
CLC receives a grant to create a Nature Quest program for families enjoying the public lands.
2022
CLC begins planning process for constructing a new, more durable, more accessible boardwalk at Ooms.
2024
CLC begins work on The Plan to Conserve Columbia County.