Environment DEC
From the March 2006 issue
DEC to Prepare Management Plan for Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center
Governor Pataki tours the
Tenant Farm House, which dates
back to the late 1600s-1700s
DEC will begin developing a unit management plan (UMP) for the Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center, located in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County. Two open house meetings will be held to discuss the plan. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 from 6:30-8:30 PM. The second meeting will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2006 from 2-4 PM. Both meetings will be held at the Education Center located at 79 Farmstead Lane, Wappingers Falls.
At the meeting, DEC staff will provide a brief overview of the unit management planning process, give information about Stony Kill and facilitate discussion about what issues and ideas ought to be addressed in the draft plan. A list of suggested discussion issues related to capital improvements, public use, habitat management and public safety will be provided.
Goals and Citizen Participation
The principal goals of the draft plan are to study new facility improvement initiatives at Stony Kill and to plan for the long-term management and operation of the popular facility. The purpose of the open house meetings is to provide opportunities for citizen participation at the earliest stage of the planning process and to ensure that the draft plan addresses issues relevant to the public, faithfully reflecting community needs and interests.
Any individual or organization interested in providing comments or receiving additional information about the development of the management plan can write to: Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center, 79 Farmstead Lane, Wappingers Falls, NY, 12590, or e-mail the Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center indicating UMP in the subject line. Written comments can be submitted at any time before the close of business on Monday, April 17, 2006. Those interested in discussing the plan do not need to wait until the public meetings to do so.
Publication of the proposed draft plan is targeted for December 2006. Those who wish to receive the list of suggested discussion topics or to be added to the mailing list for the UMP initiative are urged to contact the center by calling 845-831-8780, ext 300.
Stony Kill Farm EEC
Verplanck Manor House visitor center
houses a library where people can
conduct research on birds or animals
Stony Kill Farm is one of DEC's environmental education centers dedicated to enhancing environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world. This facility is more than 1,000 acres and includes rolling countryside, farmland, ponds, woodlands, meadows, cultivated fields and fallow fields. Located in Dutchess County in southeastern New York State, Stony Kill Farm offers a special setting where visitors discover the delicate interweaving of all living things. The visitor center at the Verplanck Manor House includes a library where you can come and identify a bird or animal or research various topics.
In September 2005, Governor George E. Pataki announced the purchase of more than 250 acres of open space known as the Baxtertown property, in the Town of Fishkill, Dutchess County. The land has since been added to the Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center. It contains wetlands, vernal pools and forests. The UMP will consider uses of this newly acquired property as part of the education center.
