The Delaware Highlands Conservancy has announced the protection of 18.4 acres of forests and wetlands in the Town of Thompson, Sullivan County, NY, through a conservation easement held by the Conservancy.
Known as Rose Valley Forest, the property has been owned by the MacAdam family for 150 years. Brothers Henry and Gordon MacAdam first worked with the Conservancy in 2012 to place a conservation easement on 25.6 acres of their historic family homestead, originally acquired by their maternal great-grandmother in 1874.
Now octogenarians, the MacAdam brothers recognized that no other family members would return to live on the property and wanted to ensure it would remain protected for future generations, regardless of ownership.
The conservation easement helps ensure that their family lands will continue to provide healthy habitat for wildlife and support the unique rural character of the region while protecting the property from development and subdivision.
The property is privately owned and is not open to the public. A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently protects a property’s natural values while the landowner continues to own and manage the land, subject to the permitted uses detailed in the easement.
This project was supported with grant funding from the Delaware River Watershed Initiative of the William Penn Foundation.
The Delaware Highlands Conservancy’s mission is to conserve the forests, farmland, clean waters, and wildlife habitat of the Upper Delaware River region for present and future generations and to foster environmental stewardship through community engagement.
For more information, call (570) 226-3164 / (845) 583-1010 or visit www.DelawareHighlands.org.
Photo of Rose Valley Forest provided.
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