A Cause Near and Dear – Donating a Conservation Easement
15 Years in the Making
We found a curious thing in the office some time ago – a note, dated 2004. “Saturday night was terrific …I look forward to working with you on a cause that is near and dear to my heart.” It was signed “Kathy Roome”. Paperclipped to it was another note: “Kathy has some land she is interested in protecting.” No other information was included.
Kathy, who grew up in Westchester County when there were still a few farms around, has seen firsthand how development can change a community forever. When they were planning a move north, Kathy said to her husband Hugh, let’s drive as far as it takes to make sure we will always be close to farm country. They bought a house in Washington County in 1986 and moved up full time from New York City in 2000 to raise their children, Ren and Annie.
On December 19, 2018, Kathy and her husband, Hugh finally got around to protecting that land by donating an easement on 275 acres in Jackson. Their generous donation covered all the transaction costs and included a donation to the Stewardship Fund. This newly protected land is currently being leased to a local dairy farmer who uses it as support land.
"In a world that is rapidly losing its rural landscapes, food-producingsoils, and small-town communities, we wanted to do our bit to preserve this unique and beautiful region between the Hudson River and Taconic Mountains." - Katherine Roome
