Cuomo breathes life into farmland protection effort
The town was awarded about $530,500 in 2008 to be used towards preserving Marratooka North Farm, an 18-acre farm on Main Road in Mattituck, however the project was not completed until July 2013, when the grant funing actually came in.
The parcel joins about 50 acres of protected land to its west, and another 40 to its east, compiling a more than 100-acre block of protected farmland, she said.
Both Supervisor Walter, who worked on the program during his tenure as the towns deputy attorney, and Anne Marie Prudenti, the current deputy attorney said the process was an onerous one, though Ms. Prudenti said state officials were more than helpful throughout the process.
Ms. Prudenti said in the past, Riverhead had hired the Peconic Land Trust to help them with the application process.
The town has received over $2 million in grant funding, with its most recent grant issued in 2007, she said.
Tim Caufield, vice president of the land trust said he was happy the program had been opened up to preservation organizations.
“It is something the [state] Land Trust Alliance has been working toward for years,” he said. “Our [chapter] spent a lot of time up in Albany working towards improving the rules for the program and getting funding.”
Mr. Caufield said the nonprofit will still partner with the town on many of its projects, and likely applying for grant funding on projects the town many not be interested in, as to avoid creating competition when both have a common goal — preserving farmland.
“That would be our initial effort. Maybe the town may just not be interested in one parcel or another for some reason,” he said.
According to the governor’s office, when offered, the state received requests for three-times the available funding on average, and is anticipating even higher demand this year.
According to the governor’s office, when offered, the state received requests for three-times the available funding on average, and is anticipating even higher demand this year.
“Farming supports jobs, businesses and economic activity in communities across the state, ultimately representing a cornerstone of our state’s economy,” Mr. Cuomo said. “This funding will help to make sure that farms are kept in production, given the tools to grow, and ensure support for farmers and their families.”
