The land will be known as the Diamond Family Preserve and features remarkably healthy forest ecosystems, a robust understory of chestnut oak and blueberry, and many trees more than 100 years old

Release Date: May 5, 2021

Bedford, NY—Westchester Land Trust (WLT) announced the permanent protection of 15 acres of ecologically significant land on Pea Pond Road in Bedford. The land is one of the few higher-elevation properties in Bedford that is both undeveloped and unprotected, which made conserving it a top priority for WLT. The land was generously donated by Janice and Robert Diamond and will be named the Diamond Family Preserve.

“We’re thrilled that we were able to work with the Westchester Land Trust to protect this beautiful land and ensure it will forever remain free from development,” said Robert Diamond. “This property is a striking example of the natural beauty that makes our community so special and we’re proud to know it will provide benefits for generations to come.”

Westchester Land Trust President Lori Ensinger added, “WLT will be forever grateful to the Diamond family for making this selfless gift of nature. They understood the importance of preserving this property and were wonderful partners in making it happen.”

The property will be owned and managed by WLT as a nature sanctuary. This conservation project brings WLT’s total preserved lands to 8,800 acres across its service area of Westchester and eastern Putnam counties. The land features a healthy mix of oak, tulip, and maple forests with many trees greater than 100 years old. Because of its elevation, the land is home to locally uncommon ecosystems and soil types, which allow unique plant communities, like chestnut oak and blueberry, to thrive. The property has been surrounded by a nearly complete fence for much of its recent history, which has allowed species commonly suppressed by deer browsing to flourish, including maple leaf viburnum, black cohosh, maidenhair fern, and prolific oak regeneration. Due to its topographic diversity, the property is also expected to be relatively more climate resilient.

“This land has a stunning ecosystem, very few invasive species, and an overall lack of deer browsing, which offer interesting opportunities to conduct ecological studies,” said Brendan Murphy, WLT’s Director of Stewardship.

The newly protected land is located within the New Croton Reservoir watershed, which provides drinking water to over nine million New York residents, and which is a priority watershed of the New York State Open Space Conservation Plan. It is also near several other preserves, conservation easements, and municipal, County, and State properties, as well as the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor.

Permanently conserving this property provides protection of locally unique habitats and woodlands that sequester carbon and ensures that the land will never be lost to development. The property does not currently have a trail system and will not be open to the public at this time. WLT is pleased to steward the land and has plans for conducting ecological research with conservation partners to study the unusual biodiversity on the property.

For additional information, contact Kara H. Whelan, Vice President, at 914.234.6992 or Kara@westchesterlandtrust.org.