What's New

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy is pleased to announce the permanent protection of 18.4 acres of forests and wetlands in the Town of Thompson, Sullivan County, NY, through a conservation easement held by the Conservancy.

Brothers Gordon and Henry MacAdam.

Known as Rose Valley Forest, the property has been owned by the MacAdam family for 150 years. Brothers Henry and Gordon MacAdam first worked with the Conservancy in 2012 to place a conservation easement on 25.6 acres of their historic family homestead, originally acquired by their maternal great-grandmother in 1874. Their positive experience partnering with the Conservancy and stewarding the land over the past twelve years motivated them to extend their conservation legacy and protect another 18.4 adjacent acres in 2024.

Now octogenarians, the MacAdam brothers recognized that no other family members would return to live on the property and wanted to ensure it would remain protected for future generations, regardless of ownership.

Rose Valley Forest, owned by the MacAdam family for 150 years, is now permanently protected with a conservation easement held by the Delaware Highlands Conservancy.

The conservation easement ensures that their cherished family lands will continue to provide healthy habitat for wildlife and support the unique rural character of the region while protecting the property from development and subdivision.

“We are proud to work with local landowners like the MacAdam family to help them reach their conservation goals for their property,” stated Conservancy Executive Director Diane Rosencrance. “Protected lands are key to the resiliency and sustainability of our region, now and for future generations.”

The property is privately owned and is not open to the public. A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently protects a property’s natural values while the landowner continues to own and manage the land, subject to the permitted uses detailed in the easement.

This project was supported with grant funding from the Delaware River Watershed Initiative of the William Penn Foundation.