Westchester Land Trust (WLT) underwent a decade-long, $3 million project to permanently protect Stuart’s Fruit Farm in Somers, according to a press release.
The conservation easement ensures that the farm’s 172 acres be used for agricultural purposes only. Had it not been placed, the land could have been sold for residential development.
“The protection of Stuart’s Fruit Farm is the product of years of work and is a tribute to the commitment that the Stuart family and our community have to our agricultural heritage,” said Westchester Land Trust president Lori Ensinger in a press release. “We are grateful to all of our funding partners for investing with us in the permanent protection of Stuart’s Farm and believing in the importance of keeping farmland available for generations to come.”
Established in 1828, Stuart Fruit Farm—which has been in the family for seven generations and is currently owned by siblings Bob Stuart and Mary Lee Stuart Gerlach, attracts visitors from the tristate area who pick peaches and apples, purchase produce as well as flowers, and select Halloween pumpkins and Christmas trees. Thousands of schoolchildren also visit each year to learn about Westchester’s agricultural heritage.
Stuart said he is grateful that the land is safe from residential development.
“We have customers who’ve picked apples here as a child who now bring their grandchildren to the orchard!” said Stuart in a press release. “We can rest assured knowing the land we love and share with thousands of visitors each year, is safe from development forever.”
“Our parents, Lee and Mary Stuart, would be thrilled knowing that the future of the farm will continue in our family. Thanks to all who made this possible—this is a very, very special day for us,” Gerlach said in a press release.
