Nominate & Save Open Space
I am proud to announce my administrations Division of Environmental Resources has reopened applications for the County’s revitalized Open Space Acquisition Program.
The program was first launched in 1999 by former County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef with the goal of acquiring areas of scenic beauty, environmentally sensitive lands, farms, and Hudson River waterfront areas.
Until Rockland County’s fiscal difficulties during the national recession caused the program to be suspended in 2010, 31 individual properties were acquired preserving 1,204 acres of land. After the programs revival in 2019, the County preserved another three properties encompassing 25 acres of land which was announced in April of this year.
In 1950, hundreds of farms sprawled across more than 17,000 acres in Rockland. Today we only have a handful left on 400 acres, and only 4% of land remaining to be developed or protected. This is why my administration is doing what it can to preserve more land, irreplaceable resources, and the wildlife calling it home.
I’d like to remind everyone that what makes this program so special is the collaboration involved to reach this point.
The public first nominates the properties that are then vetted by our Open Space Advisory Committee made up of representatives from the Division of Environmental Resources, Department of Planning, Department of Health, Office of Fire and Emergency Services, and Drainage Agency.
Field inspections are then done, and each property is scored using a point system based on their attributes which include:
Connecting open spaces, preserving environmentally sensitive resources, protecting farms, preserving historic and cultural places, protecting the Hudson River, promoting opportunities for recreation, protecting rivers and streams, and protecting the watershed.
Once scored the top-rated properties are then presented to my executive team to review and ultimately decided which parcels to purchase.
We invite residents to submit nominations of properties that will help us preserve open space and protect our County’s environment and beauty for future generations. I am committed to safeguarding our environment and working with the County Legislature to do so in a way that is fiscally responsible and fair to our taxpayers.
As part of updating the program, nomination forms are now form-fillable and can be submitted via email.
Information and guidelines about the Open Space program, as well as nomination forms, are available here and questions can be directed to our Division of Environmental Resources at 845-364-2670.
