Steepletop, historic Austerlitz home of Edna St. Vincent Millay, protected forever

Conserving important farmland and forests and safeguarding the historical significance of the Hudson Valley, Scenic Hudson recently worked with partners and private landowners to protect 600 acres across two properties in Columbia County, New York. Both are part of an important belt of climate-resilient forests and farmlands connecting the Catskills to the Berkshires and are now protected with permanent conservation easements.

Preserving vital history and habitats

Steepletop is the historic home and grounds of Edna St. Vincent Millay, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, novelist, playwright and activist who died in 1950.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971, the buildings and trails on the 200-acre site in Austerlitz have been mostly closed to the public since 2019. Scenic Hudson hopes that this new conservation easement will put Steepletop on a path toward greater public access in the future.

“We are excited to be in partnership with Scenic Hudson in the protection of Steepletop,” said Vincent Barnett, president of The Millay Society. “This is an important milestone for The Millay Society in our continuing efforts to protect and preserve Edna St. Vincent Millay’s home, land and legacy.”

This highly scenic property also has immense ecological value. Consisting of farm fields, mixed northern hardwood forest and wetlands, it is the largest private property surrounded by the Harvey Mountain State Forest and part of a contiguous 4,000-plus acre block of state land. Important native species on the property include rare butterflies, multiple bird species, transient moose, bobcats and fishers.

The Steepletop conservation easement was made possible with a vital new source of conservation funding from the New York State Department of Conservation and the Land Trust Alliance. The new Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts grant program focuses on protecting climate-resilient, forested, private lands to protect water quality, build wildlife corridors, strengthen biodiversity and expand recreation opportunities.

“We are grateful for Governor Kathy Hochul’s visionary leadership and commitment to land conservation that has made possible protection of Steepletop, the home and gardens of one of the 20th century’s most iconic female cultural figures," said Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson.

“The Steepletop project is a wonderful example of how public-private partnerships increase the impact of conservation,” said Jamie Brown, New York senior program manager for the Land Trust Alliance. “The Alliance and NYSDEC provided support through the FCELT program to help Scenic Hudson protect this critical and historic property. Together, we can do so much more.”

Supporting farms and food for life

Nearby, Scenic Hudson also protected 400 prime foodshed acres in a designated agricultural district in the Town of Taghkanic. These lands have been used as a working farm since at least 1858. Albert Christiana, who has lived on the property his entire life and has stewarded the property since the 1950s, is now the sole owner. He had been concerned about the decline of open space in the Hudson Valley, and says that now that the farm is saved, he can breathe a sigh of relief.

Lyn Main, who protected the 300-acre Berkshire Valley Dairy farm in Copake with Scenic Hudson and partners in 2020, leases part of the property to grow hay and other crops. The property includes more than 180 acres of forest, while approximately 57 acres of freshwater wetlands drain into the Taghkanic Creek, contributing to the City of Hudson’s drinking water supply.

“Conserving the Christiana property will forever safeguard these working lands for farmers,” said Seth McKee, executive director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. "And with 60 acres of wetlands and nearly a mile of the Taghkanic Creek, it will help ensure clean drinking water for thousands of people living in the City of Hudson."

The heavily forested Christiana and Steepletop properties also have considerable carbon sequestration potential, meaning the trees absorb damaging carbon dioxide from the air.

This blog was adapted from a Scenic Hudson news release.

For more information about the story, contact Riley Johndonnell, Scenic Hudson's director of communications and creative strategies.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Land Trust Alliance, its staff, its board of directors or any other individuals associated with the organization.