Members of the Hunt instigated the founding of the Dutchess Land Conservancy in 1987
with three goals:
- To secure and hold conservation easements to protect open land and wildlife habitats, which
goals are fundamental to foxhunting;
- To educate the public towards conservation and preservation;
- To assist local governments in their master plan and zoning processes, so that conservation
and preservation would be well considered.
The Dutchess Land Conservancy has been an outstanding success in all three areas. It now holds
conservation easements on 10,000 acres of land, most of which is in the Millbrook Hunt country.
It has also been successful in educating the public and assisting in local planning groups.
Conservation easements continue to come forth. The Conservancy has also assisted farmers in various
ways to enable them to continue farming and thus maintain the rural and agricultural
character of our area.
The Millbrook Hunt has actively sought fox hunting easements, both by voluntary donations and by the purchase and then easing of
lands in our hunting country. These hunting easements go directly to securing for the future the Hunt's right to fox hunt on private
property. We are fortunate to have a beautiful and extensive hunting country within ninety miles of New York City. The Millbrook
Hunt and its friends see it as an obligation to do all we can to preserve and protect this heritage.
Furthermore, members of the Millbrook Hunt have spent three years and well over half a million dollars defending a fox
hunting easement on 287 acres. We see this defense as precedent setting and essential to both the gaining and
defending of all future easements in our area.
I am continually amazed at the determination, support and enthusiasm with which the Millbrook Hunt and the Dutchess Land Conservancy furthers
their efforts to protect the character and quality of our countryside for future generations.
Submitted by,
Farnham F. Collins, MFH, Millbrook Hunt
