News

On March 13th, Kyle, Laura, and Josie presented the preliminary results from the 2024 pilot study in person and on Zoom and gave a first look at the in-progress “Map of Potential Ancient Forests of Columbia County.” Below is a link to the recording of the talk and a PDF of the presentation slides. Take a look for background on what ancient forests are, what the Ancient Forest Project entails, and our plans for continuing this work into the future!

Recording of presentation. 

PDF of slides. 

Our yearly report is ready! Please enjoy this illustrated and detailed narrative of the work we have accomplished this year. Year-in-Review 2024

We are excited to share a new article by Conrad Vispo published in “From the Ground Up,” an online publication of conversations about conservation, climate, and communities in New England. The article begins:

“Lest the title immediately put you off, let me explain that it is not meant to be demeaning of either agroecology or religion. Rather, my point is that, as with our lives, making sense of something as complex as an agrarian landscape that works ecologically and also socioeconomically requires not just observation but also faith. It is a path as much as a fixed outcome. Science is one guide along that path, but so too is collaboration and a vision of how the world works that must extend beyond peer-reviewed scientific articles, that must be both more parochial and more global in worldview.” READ MORE

Our book From the Hudson to the Taconics: An Ecological and Cultural Field Guide to the Habitats of Columbia County, New York is now available in local book stores, at the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store, at our events, and online from Black Dome Press. More than 100 guests joined us for the book launch celebration on May 5th and The Columbia Paper published a nice article about the event. This book project was a true community effort and we thank everybody who has contributed to it over the years. We hope you are pleased with the result! Read more about the book and the upcoming book talks and habitat exploration walks.

We are excited to introduce you to a new webpage dedicated to our upcoming book From the Hudson to the Taconics: An Ecological and Cultural Field Guide to the Habitats of Columbia County, New York (to be released on May 5th, 2024). Here, you can get a preview of the Field Guide, find details about the book launch celebration, and a list of book talks and habitat exploration walks scheduled throughout the summer.

We invite you to check out the digital version of the Map and Descriptions of 57 Columbia County Public Natural Areas.

The map (which will be included in our upcoming Field Guide) and descriptions (only available online!) build and expand on Columbia County Outdoors: A Guide to Recreational Areas in Columbia County, NY by Sheldon Evans, published in 2012 (currently out of print) and other resources provided by the Columbia Land Conservancy. It includes a lot of new information we have compiled and will periodically be updated online.

We hope the map and descriptions of public natural areas will serve as a stand-alone resource for anybody looking for a suitable place to be in nature in our county. These resources will also serve as a companion to the Field Guide for anybody looking to experience different habitats “in-person.”

If you would like to receive our end-of-year mailing, which includes the annual appeal, a printout of the map, a discounted preorder form for the Field Guide and a Field Guide sticker, which can be used as a placeholder, should you want to gift the book in advance of its release, please send Josie your mailing address.

If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to the Farmscape Ecology Program, in support of our research, free online resources, and public programming, you can do so online or by sending a check to: FEP, 1075 Harlemville Road, Ghent NY 12075.