The Butkereit Conservation Easement
A Family Affair
Siblings Peg and Tom Butkereit, along with three other family members, recently protected their family lands in Roseboom, NY, by donating a perpetual conservation easement to Otsego Land Trust. The Butkereit family has been enjoying and improving their property since 1928.
David Diaz, Director of Land Protection, interviewed Peg and Tom to learn more about their family’s ties to the land.
Q: When did your family first come to Roseboom?
A: Our grandparents, Paul and Sophie Butkereit, came to the area in 1927, and were looking to settle down. They got lost on a road and went up to the first house they came upon. By the time they left that house, my
grandfather had purchased his first piece of land! The land we recently protected with Otsego Land Trust was purchased by our grandparents in 1928.
Q: How did you decide to protect your family lands with a conservation easement?
A: Love of land and forests has been passed down from generation to generation: from our grandparents, to our father, to us and then to our children, nieces, nephews. By protecting this land, we are honoring our grandparents, parents, and the land we love.
Q: Can you share a memorable story about life on the property?
A: Our grandfather grew up in Poland, and he visited Germany sometime after coming to America. He was impressed by how the German people managed their forests and planted trees, and he brought that idea back to Roseboom. As kids, we helped our grandfather and father plant thousands of trees all across the property. Some of those trees are well over 60 years old now. The earliest plantings are approaching 100 years. We also walked the property boundaries every year with our grandfather and father. They taught us a lot about reading the land. We have some great, if tiring, memories of those hardworking days!
Q: Would you encourage other landowners to consider protecting their land?
A: Absolutely! There is only so much land and we can’t get it back once we’ve messed it up. We need to think more about where we build, and protect the spots that are good for growing food and forests.
Q: How would like our region to look in a decade?
A: We all need to stop developing everything. We hope that landowners, land trusts, and agencies will work together to “hold the line” and create more balance between development and open land. Through the commitment and vision of people like the Butkereit family, our region has a bright future.
By David Diaz