FARMS HELP FUEL LOCAL ECONOMIES BUT ARE UNDER GREAT STRESS
The O’Mara property is part of an agricultural area comprised of 18,000 acres of farmland. It includes 83 acres of prime and statewide important soils and is currently used as pasture for the grazing of cattle.
Columbia County strongly benefits from local farms like this one. In addition to providing food, family farms contribute to the area’s scenic beauty, rural character, and economy. In 2007, Columbia County farms generated $66 million in revenue. Farmland also helps keep local taxes in check, since farm owners pay more in property taxes than the cost of municipal services that they require. Land subject to a conservation easement remains on the tax rolls.
Despite these benefits, local farms are at increasing risk. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, from 2002 to 2007, Columbia County lost over 13,000 acres of working farmland. The O’Mara easement reflects CLC’s effort to reverse that trend and ensures that this prime farmland will remain available for agriculture forever.
"Both, Linda and I believe that farming is an essential part of the character and economy of Columbia County,” says Robert O’Mara. “Working with the Columbia Land Conservancy to permanently protect this farmland will help ensure that agriculture forever remains a vibrant part of Columbia County.”
CLEAN WATER, HEALTHY WILDLIFE HABITAT
Protecting the property helps to ensure clean water and healthy wildlife habitat, benefiting the ecological health of the county. The protected property contains portions of a perennial stream that is a tributary to the Fittings Creek. It also includes 18 acres of Class 2 wetlands, as designated by NYS DEC, and 3 acres of wetlands identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory. Wetlands recharge
