Land protection is the first important step. Without ongoing stewardship, land is vulnerable to impact from invasive plants and animals that can render it unhealthy.

The Land Alliance currently owns 269 acres of land that includes 15 nature preserves open to the public and manages an additional 132 acres of land owned by partners including Nassau County and The Nature Conservancy. Many of our properties were gifts from The Nature Conservancy and ExxonMobil Corporation, though the Land Alliance has also worked with private parties and municipalities to acquire preserves, such as the Wawapek Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor (aka DeForest Williams property).

Each year, the Land Alliance protects more lands through conservation easements and accepts more fee lands in perpetuity. Monitoring and assuring compliance with the terms of easements held by the Land Alliance is a vital obligation to the public. There are significant and ongoing costs associated with the stewardship of land. They range from the staff time required to conduct annual monitoring visits, to maintenance required when large trees fall or meadows need mowing, to legal defense for easement violations.

At many of our properties, we are increasingly responsible for general maintenance and upkeep of the land.  This involves significant costs for purchasing equipment, tools, and even vehicles, and costs associated with new planting efforts and removing invasive species.

We also hold 27 conservation easements on 188 acres of public and privately held land.  Our conservation easements require an annual monitoring visit to ensure that activities on the conserved properties are in compliance with the terms of the easement.  When an easement is established, a baseline inventory is generated to provide a record of the condition of the property at the time the easement goes into effect.   Land Alliance staff work with property owners to best preserve the conservation value of their land.