Generations of Boy Scouts and their families have fond memories of Camp Henderson, the scout reservation on Crumhorn Mountain in the towns of Milford and Maryland. Otsego Land Trust has been leading the effort to protect the beloved site from development and ensure the health of the forest and the lake. When the Leatherstocking Council of Boy Scouts of America listed the 668-acre property for sale in 2022, local residents and environmental advocates expressed hope that the property might be protected and reopened for public access and enjoyment.

The new paddling dock on the north side of Brookwood Point Conservation Area opened in May, just in time to host the 63rd Annual General Clinton Canoe Regatta. Paddlers and rowers can now enjoy a broad gravel path, a boardwalk over the wetlands, a 40-ft. floating dock, and an accessible kayak launch.

The bench at the overlook at Fetterley Forest is in need of a replacement! This overlook has expansive views of Canadarago Lake and Deowongo Island, and is a favorite among preserve hikers. It’s a beautiful place to rest after a lovely forested walk on the property.

There are few other more enduring legacies than a bench, placed somewhere relaxing and beautiful in nature, in a space protected forever through conservation.

We are open to discussions - if you are interested in donating a bench for this location, please reach out to us at info@otsegolandtrust.org.

Rain before and rain after, but it was a perfect spring day for Otsego Land Trust’s annual plein air painting event in mid-May. The activity was hosted by Hyde Hall in Glimmerglass State Park and the elevated venue provided a glorious perspective on the conservation lands that surround Otsego Lake. Each artist chose an outdoor location to capture the large and small details of the site in a variety of media. The resulting paintings will be displayed and offered for sale in an upcoming exhibition at the Cooperstown Art Association, August 22 to September 23, 2025. Come view the exhibition and consider taking home a memento of the region’s beautiful landscape.

An anonymous donor will match every dollar donated by June 30th - help us unlock up to $20,000 of extra funding this spring! Donate by June 30th…

In our ongoing effort to conserve and invest in the Upper Susquehanna watershed community, Otsego Land Trust has hired two talented local individuals to join our professional staff this spring…

Otsego Land Trust’s all-volunteer Board of Directors continues to expand with the election of two new Directors this spring…

Richard O’Keefe of Morris was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors at the annual meeting in April, after previously serving as treasurer. Rick is a conservation easement landowner and donor and an active member of the Butternut Valley Alliance…

Three local farm families have been working with Otsego Land Trust to protect their agricultural land through New York State’s Farmland Protection Implementation Grants. The state program ensures that high-quality farmland will remain in agricultural use by purchasing the development rights from the respective farmers. Miller’s Organic Dairy in Richfield and Warren, Howard Young’s family farm in Cherry Valley, and the Marthers beef farm in Decatur reflect the diversity of local agriculture and the importance of the local food supply. With a commitment not to convert farmland to non-agricultural use, these three families have taken a major step toward ensuring the environmental health of the region.

Join our Team!

Anne and Robert Stack have chosen to protect their 96-acre property in the town of Davenport with a conservation easement. Anne Stack, in a recent interview with OLT’s Land Protection Manager, detailed her reasons for working with the land trust to conserve their property.

Three new conservation easements are scheduled to close in December, protecting more than 270 acres in the towns of Davenport, Exeter and Stark. Private landowners have a variety of reasons for working with Otsego Land Trust to conserve their land in perpetuity. OLT staff work with the property owners to identify the key conservation values and draft a legally-binding easement that expresses their vision for the land. Patrick Clearey, along with his wife Amy and their nieces and nephew, have chosen to protect the family’s 135-acre property in the town of Exeter with a conservation easement. Clearey recently explained his interest and motivation.

As the September full moon rose over the hill, more than 100 supporters of Otsego Land Trust gathered under a festive tent at June and Kent Barwick’s home in Cherry Valley. The Otsego Land Frolic was our culminating event, held to honor Otsego Land Trust’s many donors and landowners. Campbell Farm, the Barwicks’ privately-owned 218-acre property, has been protected forever through a conservation easement with Otsego Land Trust since 1998.

Earlier in the day, people gathered for guided nature walks on two other conservation easement properties in Cherry Valley. At the Solomon property, a 193-acre diverse farm and wetland landscape owned by Maria Camargo, participants learned about the ecological importance of wetlands and probed the pond for a peek at native amphibians. At Glensfoot Farm, a 508-acre farm owned by the Kingery, Schwartz and Wertenbaker clan, hikers learned how to spot a healthy forest and how to identify (and eradicate) invasive plants.

The Acorn Society is a select group of like-minded conservation leaders who have made provisions to support local conservation beyond their own lifetime. If you have already made arrangements for deferred giving to Otsego Land Trust, simply let me know so that we can acknowledge your commitment to the future. If you would like to learn more about how deferred giving might work, please reach out to me and we'll begin a conversation.

Stewardship is one of Otsego Land Trust’s most important responsibilities as we conserve land in perpetuity. Walking the land and chatting with the property owners, our annual visits ensure that forests, fields, wetlands and streams haven’t been adversely affected by human or natural forces.

In our ongoing effort to make nature more accessible to all residents, Otsego Land Trust offers a variety of recreational and educational opportunities. Each year we strive to improve our six public preserves – all of which are open for free public access and enjoyment from dawn to dusk daily.

Thoughtful landowners like you can ensure vibrant, successful, and healthy communities with good farmland, clean air, abundant water, and a high degree of climate resiliency. It’s a wonderful way to keep your land as healthy as it is today. We are so grateful for your partnership.

We hope this will eventually become a place where people can walk,” said Peggy Palmer as we finished a stroll through their 80-acre property nestled in the hills of Oneonta. “Hopefully people will enjoy it in the future,” she reflected.

Steep forested ridges and broad fertile valleys – that’s the landscape that defines the Upper Susquehanna watershed. Otsego Land Trust’s most recent easement, filed in March 2024, protects 248 acres of farmland at the confluence of two creeks in a scenic valley just outside the town of East Meredith.

Otsego Land Trust has been awarded $100,000 by the Department of Environmental Conservation through the New York State Conservation Partnership Program with the Land Trust Alliance. The grant will be used to develop a new walking trail and paddling launch on the north side of the Brookwood Point Conservation Area. “We are grateful to New York State and the Land Trust Alliance for their generous support,” said Gregory Farmer, executive director.