Stewardship: Caring for the Land and Water
What is Stewardship?
For the Peconic Land Trust, Stewardship is the management and care of the preserves and conservation easements held by the Trust. The responsibility associated with these protected properties continues forever.
All properties are routinely monitored and related records maintained.
If you would to report an issue at one of our properties, please click here.
Properties donated to the Trust in fee are called Preserves. A management plan is prepared for each of these properties. Some Preserves are passive and need minimal maintenance, while others require extensive measures to control soil erosion, restore wetlands, control public access, etc.
Conservation easements are a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization or municipality that protects the land from development, with the landowner retaining ownership and the rights to sell the property or pass it onto heirs.
Conservation easements are monitored at least annually to detect any changes and to ensure the property is being used in accordance with the terms of the restrictions placed on it.
The commitment to monitor, defend, and enforce the easements is what ensures perpetual protection.
How it Works
Our stewardship staff is available to assist landowners with a variety of land management activities including:
- Field mowing
- Planting of cover crops
- Invasive vegetation removal
- Landscape restoration
- Trail creation and maintenance
The Trust can provide environmentally sensitive land care services to landowners – individuals, corporation or municipalities. As a result, interest in the Peconic Land Trust’s Stewardship Program comes from many sources, including:
- landowners who want to preserve the rural character of their property;
- landowners who want to protect environmentally sensitive area(s) of their property;
- landowners who find it difficult to manage their property;
- corporations holding land as an investment;
- developers seeking assistance in the management of open space areas within their plans; and
- Municipalities that own natural areas or development rights but whose management capability is stretched by the maintenance of active recreational areas.
Our experienced staff is available to advise and assist landowners on long-term natural resource management strategies available, including establishing and implementing stewardship objectives that reflect the owner's goals and the unique elements of each property.
Creating a Stewardship Management Program
The Stewardship Management Plan identifies the natural features of the land and states the owner’s long term goals for the property. While the Stewardship Management Plan is comprehensive, it must also be flexible, since the natural features of a property may change through time. Issues to be considered could be public access, education or recreation, agricultural uses and timber harvesting, species and ground water protection, for example. Some properties may simply require regular monitoring, while others may require extensive restoration work, and ongoing maintenance. Typically the Plan:
- addresses the unique natural features of the land,
- establishes clear objectives and prioritizes goals,
- addresses particular problems that might appear in the future as a result of surrounding development or invasive species encroachment, for example,
- outlines an implementation plan and responsibilities, and
- creates a financial plan for implementation.
Monitoring at the Anderegg Reeve Preserve
Meet the Staff
Matt Swain
Vice President
MSwain@peconiclandtrust.org
Dan Heston
Director of Agricultural Programs
dheston@peconiclandtrust.org
Layton Guenther
Director, Quail Hill Farm
LGuenther@PeconicLandTrust.org
Rick Bogusch
Garden Director, Bridge Gardens
rbogusch@peconiclandtrust.org
Jessie McSwane
Director, Stewardship
JMcSwane@peconiclandtrust.org
Brendan Minogue
Stewardship Manager
bminogue@peconiclandtrust.org
Jackie Wilson
Senior Manager, Agricultural Programs
jwilson@peconiclandtrust.org
Josh Halsey
Senior Environmental Programs Manager
JoshHalsey@peconiclandtrust.org
Robin L. Harris
Senior Stewardship Office Manager
rharris@peconiclandtrust.org
Alex Doskoez
Land Steward Associate
ADoskoez@peconiclandtrust.org
Matthew Laspia
Garden Assistant