RENSSELAERVILLE — A large donation will preserve a wild portion of Rensselaerville and link two of the Hilltowns’ wildlife areas.

Rensselaerville farmers Paul and Vernon Husek donated an easement on their 129 acres to the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. Though the Huseks can continue to own and farm the land, the easement restricts future development and other uses that could harm the natural resources of the property.

Chris Olney, director of conservation for the Catskill Center, told The Enterprise that the Huseks contacted the center to propose the donation. After looking at the property, the Catskill Center decided the easement was something it would be willing to administer.

The Husek property contains the Huseks’ farm, a 28-acre fen, and a northern hardwood forest. The property has over 3,800 feet of common border with the Partridge Run State Wildlife Management Area and over 3,300 feet of common border with the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve.
"That’s definitely one of the factors we considered that makes it a higher priority for conservation," Olney said. "We’re always looking to build larger wild areas by connecting smaller ones."

The Catskill Center protects over 16,000 acres of land through easements and by helping to secure public lands. Its interests go beyond the Catskill Mountains to the greater Catskill region, which it considers to be composed of Otsego, Schoharie, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, Ulster, and southern Albany counties.
"It’s kind of the northern limit of where our organization conducts our activities," Olney said of the Husek property. "We would not go much beyond Rensselaerville—maybe Berne or Westerlo."

The mountain views from the Hilltowns are one of the reasons the southern Hilltowns could be considered part of the Catskill region, Olney said.

As the holder of the easement, the Catskill Center is responsible for monitoring the Husek property to make sure no development occurs.

Because of their donation, the Huseks could get state and federal income tax reductions for the value of the development rights. Easements can also lower or eliminate estate taxes, helping landowners keep land in their family, the Catskill Center said.

The Huseks could not be reached for comment.