Winnakee Acquires 159 Acres in Hyde Park, Protecting Key Forest Linkage | |
Winnakee's 20th Anniversary Barn Tour Celebrated Our Rural Character | The 2026 Barn Tour was a perfect fall day! Guests traveled throughout the countryside to visit eight historic barns and working farms, each with its own story, character, and connection to the land. | | |
What makes the Barn Tour special isn’t just the barns themselves. It’s the community that comes together around them: property owners who generously open their land and homes, volunteers who welcome and guide visitors at each stop, and the sponsors who make the event possible. A very special thank you to everyone who participated, all of the barn owners, volunteers, and sponsors, as well as The Decoys who provided the perfect music and our caterer, Meri Puccio, who helped us end the day with such a lovely (and delicious) reception.
For two decades, the Barn Tour has offered people the chance to slow down, explore places they might otherwise never see, learn about our agricultural and architectural heritage, and come together as a community to appreciate these special landscapes.
READ MORE & EXPLORE GALLERIES OF THE BARN TOUR OVER THE YEARS
| | | | MEET OUR NEW
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
From the Sports World to Burger Hill: Finding My Place in Conservation | |
By Tom Purves
Senior Director of Development
On weekday mornings, you might find me running up Burger Hill at Drayton Grant Park with a group of friends and neighbors.
We call ourselves the Burger Hill Massive. What started in 2021 as a simple idea to bring people together for a run has grown into a community centered around friendship, wellness, and a shared appreciation for this remarkable place we call home.
I didn't know it at the time, but those mornings on Burger Hill were also leading me toward the next chapter of my career.
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| | "Before people will protect something, they first have to understand its value. And one of the most powerful ways to understand the value of a place is simply to experience it." | | FOREST MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Buzz in the Woods: Restoring Forest Habitat for Native Bees | | | | |
Here’s a little-known fact: of the roughly 450 bee species in the Northeast, about a third will only forage and nest in forests, and another third use forests for at least part of their lives. When we picture pollinators, we tend to picture meadows and gardens. It turns out the woods are buzzing too.
Winnakee is planning a 40-acre forest restoration project at Robert’s Refuge to bring back the habitat these bees need, and we are grateful to have advisor Kass Urban-Mead of the Xerces Society helping guide the planning. This past spring, Kass and Lacey Smith of Pollinator Partnership were the featured speakers at our landowner webinar on woodland pollinators. The project at Robert’s Refuge will be a hands-on demonstration of many of the techniques they recommended for enhancing pollinator habitat in the forest. READ MORE
| | WINNAKEE RECEIVESTWO NEW GRANTS | | Winnakee Awarded $44,900 State Grant for Dutchess County Turtle Conservation Partnership | Winnakee Land Trust has been awarded a $44,900 Conservation Catalyst Grant through the NYS Conservation Partnership Program to support the Dutchess County Turtle Conservation Partnership, a collaborative effort to monitor at-risk turtle populations and care for the wetlands they depend on. | "Because turtles travel frequently between wetlands, forests, and open sandy nesting sites, protecting them takes coordination across property lines and organizations, which this partnership seeks to address.”
–Jen Adams | |
The award was announced on October 1 by Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton as part of $2.7 million going to 45 land trusts across the state. The program is funded by the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with DEC. Winnakee’s award is one of 56 projects funded statewide this year.
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| |  | New Welcome Fence for Burger Hill Thanks to the Frost Memorial Fund | |
Visitors to Drayton Grant Park at Burger Hill will notice a change before they even reach the trail. Thanks to generous funding from the Frost Memorial Fund, Winnakee Land Trust has replaced the split rail fence around the parking area and repaired the gates that keep vehicles out of the park’s recreational areas.
After many years of weathering and run-ins with snowplows, the old fence was due for a full replacement. The gates had also taken a beating from plowing and the annual mow. A trusted local landscaping contractor who has worked at the park before handled the installation and repairs, and the gates now have new high-quality locks and chains.
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The result is a parking area that is more welcoming, more functional, and safer. A clearly defined lot keeps cars orderly and gives pedestrians a protective barrier, which matters most during popular events like the Full Moon Hike.
Going forward, Burger Hill’s dedicated volunteers will help keep the new fence in good shape, as they have for years. We are grateful to them and to the Frost Memorial Fund for helping us care for this beloved community park.
Join us to volunteer at the Burger Hill Fall Work Day on Sat, Nov 14th at 10am!
| | NEW TRAIL
Robert's Refuge Trail Opened in September,
Volunteers to Help Build Extended Trail Loop | | | | |
In September, Winnakee opened a new 0.3-mile trail, which volunteers are now working to extend. (The trail is closed during hunting season.) The growing trail network will provide much-needed outdoor recreation for residents of northeastern Hyde Park, Staatsburg, Clinton, and Rhinebeck. Its design reflects the donating landowners’ vision of the site as a sanctuary for wildlife and “a quiet place for human visitors to enjoy.” READ MORE
| Kyle Fried, grandson of Robert, for whom Robert’s Refuge is named, with his wife, Tina, and son, Milo, at the opening of the new trail! | | | |
THIS SATURDAY
Landowner Workshop at Our New Mt Ross Wildlife Sanctuary In Pine Plains
| Own streamside land and wondering where to start?
Join Winnakee CEO Bob Davis for a guided walk on one of Winnakee’s newest properties, the Mount Ross Wildlife Sanctuary: 279 acres of forest, farmland, and waterways that permanently protect roughly a mile of the Roeliff Jansen Kill. Bob will share practical first steps for building a land management plan, with a focus on one of the most valuable things a forest can do: help keep our water clean, for us and for wildlife! | | | | This walk is designed especially for landowners with streamside parcels. | | | |
THIS OCTOBER
Fun Events to Support Winnakee's Work
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Have You Ever Admired the Fairy Houses at Vlei Marsh?
Now you can own one!
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“The thing I love the most about making fairy houses for Winnakee's Vlei Marsh preserve is the reaction from young visitors. They leave gifts for the fairies and little messages in the fairy book that capture their excitement and enthusiasm. I love knowing that a walk through those enchanted woods kindles their imagination and their appreciation of the natural world.”
—Julia Van Develder
(the Fairy Godmother behind many of the fairy houses at Vlei Marsh)
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Shortly after Vlei Marsh was donated to Winnakee in 2021, Winnakee created an outdoor experience called Woodland Creatures to celebrate our forested lands and give people a chance to enjoy the newly protected marsh. Long after the original exhibit closed, fairy houses continued to appear mysteriously along the trail. “We like to say that the fairies work their magic at night,” said Uri Perrin, Senior Director of External Affairs. “Then one day, we discovered our ‘Fairy Godmother,’ Julia Van Develder. We’re delighted to celebrate Julia and her fairy houses, which bring so much joy to visitors.”
Learn more about the creative programs at Vlei Marsh over the years.
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Support conservation all year long! Join The Grove! |
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