Doctor Lucy Waletzky’s easement borders Rockefeller State Park and is part of a much larger open space network in Pocantico Hills. The easement preserves the views of the thousands of people a year who use the carriage trails on Rockefeller State Park and also of the many motorists who travel Route 448 in Pocantico.

Consisting of open fields and hardwood forest, the property has significant habitat value. It includes swampy areas and intermittent streams that drain toward the state park, a vernal pool that was created several years ago, and an area that was fenced in several years ago to exclude deer as an experiment in forest regeneration.

Dr. Waletzky serves as chair of the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. She is the daughter of the late Laurence Rockefeller. Her easement is the fifth that Westchester Land Trust has completed in Pocantico Hills with members of the Rockefeller family.

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About Westchester Land Trust

Westchester Land Trust works with public and private partners to preserve land in perpetuity and to enhance the natural resources in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties—a densely populated region under persistent threat from the pressures of development. Founded in 1988, WLT has preserved 9,278 acres of open space. More than 1,148 acres of land are owned by the organization which are free and open to the public year-round. WLT was one of the first land trusts in the nation to receive accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.