Partnerships Protect East Meredith Landscape

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.

Glass Conservation Easement, East Meredith

Marvin Glass, an industrial engineer and Long Island native, reached out to Otsego Land Trust with a strong interest in protecting his land forever. May Leinhart, Land Protection Manager, and Justin Williams, Agricultural Specialist, shared their first impressions. “We met with Mr. Glass at his beautiful farmhouse last September. Over the next six months, we brought in partners, including the DEC Forest Stewardship Program and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, to design and implement an easement that not only protected the land and kept it together, but enhanced it as well.”

USC, through the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation Service, is actively reclaiming 33 acres of wetlands and riparian buffers on the Glass property.

Glass Conservation Easement, East Meredith

The easement specifically defines and protects the Upper Susquehanna Coalition’s investment in restoring the wetlands and will serve as a model for future transactions.

Otsego Land Trust has been protecting forests, fields, and waterways in the Upper Susquehanna region of New York State for over 35 years, enhancing climate resiliency in Otsego County and surrounding counties. With more than 12,000 acres under easement, Otsego Land Trust has become the local leader in land conservation. Our partnerships to conserve land forever with over 100 private landowners are the most essential part of the work we do.