ASA partners with local land owners to conserve 218 acres of farmland in Easton and Cambridge
GREENWICH, NY - As you drive along beautiful Route 372 from Greenwich to Cambridge, you may have noticed the many horses roaming the fields at the Stone Meadow farm in Easton. Thanks to Dan and Deko Stone, you will continue to see this beautiful sight. The Stones recently have protected approximately 218 acres through the donation of two conservation easements. This donation, along with their previous 92-acre donation, ensures that the entire 310 acre farm has been conserved. Their farm is a mixture of pastureland, cropland and woodland. During the winter months about 40 horses are boarded there, while during the summer months the neighboring farmers farm the land. Crops include corn, pumpkins and hay.
According to the Stones, "One of the main reasons we chose to live in Washington County was because it is very agriculturally based. The perfume smell of manure may bother some, but to us it reminds us that we are earthy people. Being fortunate enough to acquire a chunk of it, our first mission was to help protect the land, so the fields you see today will remain fields in the future."
"The generosity of the Stones has enabled us to conserve a sizable farm of highly scenic, high-quality farmland along Routes 372, 74A and Pettyes Rd," says Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) Executive Director Teri Ptacek. This project also represents our first easement in the Town of Cambridge," continues Ptacek. The Stone donation brings the number of acres conserved and protected by the Agricultural Stewardship Association ASA to 4,100.
ASA is a local land trust operating in Washington County, New York that will hold and steward these easements. For more information on the benefits of easements for area farms, please contact ASA at 692-7285 or send an email to asa@agstewardship.org.
