Stewardship Volunteer Spotlight

Stewardship is one of Otsego Land Trust’s most important responsibilities as we conserve land in perpetuity. Walking the land and chatting with the property owners, our annual visits ensure that forests, fields, wetlands and streams haven’t been adversely affected by human or natural forces.

Each and every year, our staff and volunteers visit and monitor each of the 116 privately-owned conservation easement properties in Otsego, Herkimer, Schoharie and Delaware Counties. Individual conservation easements range in size from one acre to 706 acres. That’s a lot of ground to cover!

This fall, Otsego Land Trust relied on volunteer extraordinaire Andrew Demma to help tackle some of these annual monitoring visits. Andy moved here eight years ago after retiring from the Center for Disease Control where he worked as a health scientist.

Andy Demma

Ahead of a site visit, Andy reviews materials such as baseline documents that describe the conditions of the land at the time the easement was established, as well as the monitoring reports from previous visits. All of this helps to determine which parts of the easement to walk, observe and photograph during the visit.

“There is such a wide diversity of properties and a wide diversity of landowners and reasons for making that decision, and even the smallest piece has a story.”

Overall, Andy continues to be impressed by the sheer amount of restoration projects that landowners undertake to support biodiversity and the health and quality of the soil and water that sustain us. Together we are building a stronger and more resilient environment for future generations.