Preserving Property on Wappinger Creek in the Town of Poughkeepsie
- wagmanml
- Jan 29
- 2 min read
Tuesday January 28 - a community meeting was held at the New Hamburg Yacht Club to discuss the transfer of two properties - one of nearly 99 acres owned by the Putnam Audubon Society and one of approximately 25 acres owned by Scenic Hudson - which border Wappingers Creek, in the Town of Poughkeepsie -- to the Town of Poughkeepsie.
A bit of brief history... this part of the creek is an important flyway for birds -- and that was the impetus for the original gift by the Reese family to the. Audubon Society. There is no Dutchess County Audubon Society, so the Putnam Chapter accepted the gift. They are now in a position of not being able to properly steward the property and want to focus their resources on properties in Putnam County... hence the discussions.
Over 50 people attended the meeting where the Town of Poughkeepse Supervisor, Rebecca Edwards led a discussion - which included a representative of Scenic Hudson, members of the Peach Hill Friends organization - who manage another park in the Town of Poughkeepsie and the Parks manager for the Town of Poughkeepsie.
There was also discussion of the abandoned cemetary property on the bluff, adjacent to the Audobon property - but that will require additional research and a different process.
Here's a summary note that Supervisor Edwards sent to the attendees on January 29th which nicely summerizes the discussion and next steps:
Dear Town Residents,
Thank you so much for coming out last night in the cold for an inspiring meeting about protecting vital sites in the Wappinger Greenway Trail. The other elected officials who were there, as well as Scenic Hudson representatives, Nate Smith, and I, heard loud and clear that community members would like to see the Putnam Audubon and Scenic Hudson sites protected in perpetuity, as wild lands that offer protection for birds and other creatures as well as space for humans to walk, hike, observe, and contemplate. It was wonderful to hear some of your experiences.
Special thanks to the dozen participants who volunteered to serve on a steering committee or working group to consider next steps. I will send a second email to that group. It is clear that neighbors are already caring for these properties. Ongoing volunteer leadership and stewardship will help the Town greatly with management and planning.
Nate Smith and I will continue working with Scenic Hudson and Putnam Audubon to iron out all details of liability, stewardship, and other matters, to bring proposals to the Town Board for acquisition. Over the next few months I’ll report on our progress in the Supervisor’s e-newsletter which comes out every week or two. To sign up for that and other town news, you can click here:
Thanks again and best wishes.
Yours,
Rebecca
Rebecca Edwards
Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor