projects in progress
In early 2026, CLC and our partners completed The Plan to Conserve Columbia County (The Plan). The Plan identified three strategies to pursue in service of ambitiously advancing the pace, scale, and scope of conservation work in Columbia County:
• Conserving an additional 10,000 acres of land with permanent protection by 2035,
• Supporting conservation partners, and
• Catalyzing 2,500 acts of caring for land each year through actions like volunteering, attending a workshop, enrolling in a land management program, and more.
CLC is beginning to put The Plan into action with a suite of projects. If you have questions or would like to make a donation to support any of these projects, please be in touch at [email protected].
Austerlitz Community Forest
Conserving an important landscape and creating new public access
The future Austerlitz Community Forest is a 560-acre property home to steep forests, a pond, two swamps, and nearly a mile of streams draining into the Green River. CLC plans to secure the property and protect it from development, care for it in perpetuity, and create a community of volunteers inspired to manage it using the Community Forest model.
What is a Community Forest?
A community forest is a conservation model in which land is permanently protected and managed in partnership with community members. The Columbia Land Conservancy pioneered this approach with the Taghkanic Community Forest. Rather than managing the land solely through staff, CLC establishes a committee of trained volunteers who help design trails, participate in habitat restoration, monitor ecological health, and make shared decisions about land care. CLC provides technical guidance and conservation expertise, and ultimately owns the land.
How does this project support The Plan to Conserve Columbia County?
- Conserving 30% of critical lands by 2035: This project’s 560 acres represent approximately 6% of the conservation acreage goal.
- Supporting conservation partners: CLC hopes to work closely with the Town of Austerlitz on this project.
- Catalyzing 2,500 acts of caring for land each year: The Committee and Stewards who care for the property will contribute significant volunteer hours.
The Austerlitz Community Forest also ranked highly in several of the priority landscape categories identified in the Plan:
- Abundant Access: This project increases access near existing public lands. CLC will collaborate with community members to manage public land through the Community Forest model.
- Healthy Habitats: This project will replicate the Community Forest approach that’s been so successful in Taghkanic. Volunteers will demonstrate habitat improvement practices such as deer exclosures, hunting, sustainable thinning projects, or pollinator plantings.
- Linked Landscapes: This site can serve as a demonstration site for landowners interested in implementing restoration projects for forests and wetland ecosystems, while conserving critical ecology for climate resilience and landscape connectivity.
What’s next?
CLC has applied to a new grant program offered through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a portion of the funds needed to purchase the property. The goals of the grant include enhancing public access, mitigating the impacts of climate change, increasing habitat connectivity, and enhancing water quality. We are currently awaiting the results of this application.
Bell’s Pond Community Space
The 145-acre Bell’s Pond Community Space (Bell’s Pond) demonstrates the opportunities for a critical partnership among conservation and housing organizations. Identifying high-priority landscapes in The Plan serves two purposes: highlighting those that are essential for protection and identifying those landscapes that are less critical but can still contribute to making Columbia County a vital community. CLC and our partners at Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity, Trillium Community Land Trust, and Scenic Hudson are combining forces to pilot an innovative approach to conservation that also makes it possible for average-income earners in our community to pursue home ownership.
Housing and conservation are both critical needs many in our communities are working to address. Both require thoughtful and often complex decision-making for responsible land use. Ensuring and maintaining affordable housing options is critical to the county’s overall sustainability. The median price of a home in Columbia County rose from $246,000 in 2019 to $525,000 in 2025 – making it nearly impossible for people like farmers, nurses, teachers, and community support staff to live here. You can learn more by reading this report from Pattern for Progress.
This multi-faceted project involves:
- Purchasing land for approximately 50 affordable homes created by Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity and Trillium Community Land Trust
- Restoring 100 acres of streamside and meadow habitats
- Establishing an accessible trail system
- Cultivating an ethic of care among community members, who will steward the trails and neighborhood green space
Read more about the project in a Columbia Paper article by Deb Lans here.
How does this project support The Plan to Conserve Columbia County?
- Supporting conservation partners: CLC will collaborate with partners in the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation, including Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity, Trillium Community Land Trust, and Scenic Hudson. CLC will purchase the property and create the community greenspace; Trillium and Habitat will construct approximately 50 homes on the remaining land.
- Catalyzing 2,500 acts of caring for land each year: Homeowners and volunteers who are interested in doing so will have the option to maintain the trails and community greenspaces.
Bells Pond also ranked highly in several of the priority landscape categories identified in the Plan:
- Abundant Access: One of the central components of this project is creating a community green space that will include accessible trails for members of the community.
- Healthy Habitats: Community members will have the opportunity to restore the ecological health of the property, creating habitats for pollinators and potentially regionally-rare grassland birds.
- Welcoming Waters: The property includes nearly half a mile of Mud Creek and numerous streamside habitats. Development will avoid these sensitive areas.
What’s next?
CLC and partners are currently raising funds to purchase the land, and working with students from the Conway School of Landscape Design to create a plan for the site.
Charles Williams Park & Hudson Connector
The Columbia Land Conservancy will help transform Charles Williams Park into a welcoming community hub by working with partners to create a safe, accessible trail connection linking the park to nearly 1,000 acres of conservation land and regional trail networks, including the Empire State Trail. The result will be more than improved infrastructure – it will be a meaningful expansion of opportunity for recreation, health, connection, and stewardship.
This project involves:
- Transforming an underutilized park into a vibrant gathering place for families and neighbors by creating a destination playground with nature play features, a basketball court and two pickleball courts, adult fitness stations, a new public restroom, and a splash pad.
- Creating a safe, walkable connection to regional trails and conserved lands including CLC’s Greenport property, Hudson’s North Bay, and the Empire State Trail.
- Improving accessibility so people of all abilities can experience nature through an enhanced trail system.
- Strengthening habitat through native plantings and ecological restoration.
- Fostering long-term stewardship through youth engagement initiatives.
How does this project support The Plan to Conserve Columbia County?
- Supporting conservation partners: CLC will collaborate with the City of Hudson and local nonprofit partners to build and maintain the trails and improve the park.
- Catalyzing 2,500 acts of caring for land each year: Volunteers will assist with maintaining the new trails connecting the Park to CLC’s Greenport property.
Charles Williams Park & the Hudson Connector trail also ranked highly in several of the priority landscape categories identified in the Plan:
- Abundant Access: This project will not only improve Hudson’s Charles Williams Park, but it will also create a trail connection from the City to CLC’s Greenport property. Part of this trail connection work will include making improvements to existing trails at Greenport to enhance their accessibility and provide a better experience for Access for All Trail users.
- Healthy Habitats: The improvements to Charles Williams Park include installing native tree and shrub plantings to enhance habitat for pollinators. At Greenport, CLC will continue existing efforts to increase pollinator habitat and work with volunteers to remove invasive species.
What’s next?
CLC has signed a contract to begin work on the trail connecting the City of Hudson to Charles Williams Park, and we have applied for additional grant funding to support the second phase of improvements at the Park.