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Ag Board to seek conservation easement and PDR lists as O’Dell PDR awaits subdivision
Summary
Board members reported New York State Ag & Markets will not consider the O’Dell PDR application until a property subdivision is finished; members approved a motion to request PDR and easement inventories from land trusts and municipalities to verify monitoring and stewardship.
Board members discussed the PDR application for the O’Dell property and next steps after A. Sorensen reported conversations with Orange County Land Trust contacts and NYS Ag & Markets. Sorensen said the state will not consider the application until the required subdivision of the parcel is complete and that OCLT will not work on the application until 2027 under current timing.
K. Brown, a farmer who offered to join a site visit, agreed to allow board members to inspect the property; D. Cole indicated he would attend the visit in his capacity as a Town of Wawayanda board member. Concern about the adequacy of conservation easement monitoring led P. DeBlock to move that the board send letters to Orange County Land Trust, the Open Space Institute, Scenic Hudson and municipalities (including Montgomery and Warwick) requesting lists of properties with PDRs and related information, including SBLs or locations. The motion passed on roll call with one abstention (P. Wiley).
Board members discussed options for compiling the requested information, including hiring a summer intern (estimated $3,000–$4,000) and prioritizing PDRs on active agricultural parcels. The motion directs staff to draft and send the letters and to report back with collected lists and recommended next steps.
