Westchester County recognizes the Westchester Land Trust's work at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Yorktown

Westchester County will recognize the Westchester Land Trust’s work at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Yorktown with a Soil and Water Conservation Achievement Award at an awards ceremony on Thursday, December 11th at the Westchester County Center. The County presents these awards annually for activities and projects that best promote the conservation, management and restoration of soil and water resources in Westchester County.

The 45-acre Hunter Brook Preserve in Yorktown -- Located on Beekman Court off Hunter Brook Road -- straddles Hunter Brook, an important tributary of the Croton Reservoir. The area is under increasing development pressure and the preserve protects the stream habitat and the quality of the water that flows into the Croton Reservoir. Natural habitats on the preserve include the stream and riparian corridor, wetlands, scrub/shrub, and upland forest, and there is a trail system on either side of the brook providing visitors with miles of trails and beautiful views of the stream.

Recognizing that the bank along Hunter Brook is being eroded by fast moving storm water runoff - an unwanted consequence of developing land in the area -- WLT began a Habitat Enhancement Initiative at the preserve in 2011 to help protect the floodplain from further erosion, protect against future storm and flood damage, and improve the brook’s overall water quality as it feeds into the Croton Reservoir. Since that time, WLT has led five separate planting projects installing 214 trees and plants along a three-acre riparian corridor.

“We worked with dozens of partners on this project including the NY/NJ Trails Conference, the Watershed Agricultural Council, Yorktown Land Trust, as well as local corporations and private volunteers,” said, Lori Ensinger, President of the Westchester Land Trust, “and we have collectively made a major impact on the Hunter Brook Preserve.”

WLT staff and volunteers planted native trees adapted to the environment -- such as Silver maple, Cottonwood, Sycamore, Northern red oak, Swamp white oak, Black gum, Tulip Poplar, Ironwood, Norway spruce, Pin Oak, Alder, and River Birch – as well as built boardwalks over the stream and added water bars along the trail to further mitigate against erosion.

You can read more about this enhancement project and others like it at WLT’s website westchesterlandtrust.org.

Founded in 1988, WLT recently celebrated 25 years of working with public and private partners to preserve land in perpetuity, and to protect and enhance the natural resources in Westchester and eastern Putnam County. WLT’s conservation efforts impact the long term health of these communities through protection of watershed areas, air quality, and food supply. In total, WLT has preserved more than 8,000 acres of open space including approximately 660 acres of preserves owned by the organization.

{Photo} Brendan Murphy, Watershed Forester at the Watershed Agricultural Council, helps Honora Whelan and her mother, Kara Whelan, WLT’s Director of Conservation Programs, plant a tree at the Hunter Brook Preserve on May 18, 2014.