The Dominican Sisters of Hope hosted an afternoon of celebration Sept. 28 to commemorate the preservation of 34 acres of the 61-acre property known as The Mariandale Center in the Village of Ossining. Mariandale is owned by the Dominican Sisters of Hope and lies along a stretch of the historic Hudson River.
The property will continue to be owned and managed by the Sisters as a retreat and conference center; Westchester Land Trust will hold the conservation easement, which prohibits further development and protects significant ecological resources, forever.
The celebration was emceed by Kacey Morabito Grean, morning DJ at the radio station WHUD. Dozens of community members including State Sen. David Carlucci, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, County Legislator Catherine Borgia and Ossining Village Mayor Victoria Gearity were in attendance.
The afternoon began with an opening prayer, followed by Gearity declaring Sept. 28 as a citywide day of Hope.
“As the holder of this easement, Westchester Land Trust now assumes the awesome responsibility to protect this land in perpetuity,” said Kara Whelan, WLT vice president. “In this way, we have joined together with the Dominican Sisters. We have become stewards alongside them and we share their faith in the future and hope for our planet.”
“Since 2011, we have been blessed to have a number of people help us focus on this core value and ultimately commit to this land conservation easement,” said Sister Lorelle, O.P., prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Hope. “Our hope is that, in the future, this land will be a source of healing for body, mind and spirit, as well as a place of refuge for the wildlife.”
The Sisters, along with Whelan, unveiled a map delineating the conservation easement boundaries and signed a copy of the easement. The afternoon closed with a prayer followed by refreshments and tours of the Mariandale Center property.
Since its founding in 1988, Westchester Land Trust has preserved nearly 8,300 acres of open space including more than 700 acres of preserves owned by the organization, which are free and open to the public year-round. Through the use of conservation easements and outright acquisition, WLT’s efforts benefit the long-term health of these communities by safeguarding air quality, food supply and community character, as well as critical watershed areas.
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Westchester Land Trust relies on grants and individual donations to support its preservation and community outreach programs. For more information, visit westchesterlandtrust.org.
