40 Acres Adjacent To McGregor Pond Preserve Permanently Protected

CORTLANDT, NY — Forty acres of land in the town of Cortlandt have been permanently protected by Westchester Land Trust through a donation from the landowner with support from The Nature Conservancy.

The property is adjacent to the trust’s McGregor Pond Preserve and increased the size of the preserve to nearly 112 acres.

The newly preserved land is entirely state-protected wetlands and will not have public access, according to a news release.

There are two streams on the property that are tributaries to the Peekskill Hollow Brook, which provides drinking water to the city of Peekskill.

Kara Whelan, president of Westchester Land Trust, said her organization is grateful to the previous landowner for his vision for the land and to The Nature Conservancy for their financial support in getting this deal done.

“Permanently protecting this land is a significant conservation accomplishment for our community and ensures this critically important habitat will be there to sustain people and wildlife for generations to come,” she said.

Steve Warren, president of Albert D. Phelps Inc. and Yorkcon Properties Inc., which donated the property to the trust, said everyone can make a difference to protect the nature around us and he is pleased to know it will be in good hands.

“Knowing that this special piece of land will remain undeveloped as beautiful forest and wetlands forever is a great feeling,” he said.

According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, the enlarged McGregor Pond Preserve is in the top 1 percent for wetlands protected and the top 5 percent for riparian habitat protected in the estuary. It is also part of a core forest, providing high-quality habitat and significant biodiversity of plants and wildlife.

More than 50 species of birds are believed to use the property, including the American woodcock and the wood duck. This new acquisition was also listed as one of the highest priority parcels for conservation in the most recent Cortlandt Open Space Plan.