Editorial

Clever Plan Deserves Our Full Support

W e are thrilled to report the exciting and insightful efforts of the Otsego Land Trust to preserve and protect the beautiful but vulnerable 668-acre tract of land on Crumhorn Mountain. The Leatherstocking Council of the Boy Scouts of America has put the defunct Henderson Scout Reservation up for sale and it is in danger of being compromised by development. See the story on page one for further details.

The project is an ideal use of funds from New York’s 2022 Environmental Bond Act, which set aside $4.2 billion for community conservation projects following an overwhelming endorsement by 67 percent of voters. OLT proposes to use the funding to purchase the Crumhorn property, place conservation easements on all parcels, and ultimately resell the conserved land. The plan is brilliant for several reasons. First, the money can become a revolving fund to buy, conserve, and re-sell further parcels of threatened and deserving properties in the future. Second, it provides a significant benefit to the towns of Maryland and Milford, as it will restore most of the property to the tax rolls. Third, if OTL retains the Boy Scout reservation itself, the camp would be open for leasing to area organizations for short- or long-term meetings, camping or cultural uses. BSA Leatherstocking Council itself could benefit from such an arrangement, which would be welcomed by local would-be scouts. For the rest of us, it is a benefit to have 668 acres of stunning natural beauty preserved, to say nothing of potential future conservation of additional lands that will flow from this far-reaching project.