Ridgelines # 213

Mohonk Preserve Partners with the Student Conservation Association

Mohonk Preserve became a partner with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the national leader in youth service and stewardship, in 2024. Created in 1999, the SCA Hudson Valley AmeriCorps program provides 10-month internships across the Hudson Valley region, spanning multiple conservation disciplines. SCA AmeriCorps is a grant program contingent upon federal funding and SCA receives a set number of spots in SCA AmeriCorps each year. Members/interns are eligible for student loan deferral while interning and an AmeriCorps Education Award after successful completion of service.

This partnership was made financially possible by Tammy and Richard Feuer, Preserve volunteers and Legacy Society members. As avid hikers, they recognized the need for intensive trail work at Mohonk Preserve such as rerouting trails and installing erosion prevention features. Having volunteered with AmeriCorps interns on New York-New Jersey Trail Conference crews, the Feuers were excited to support the idea of Mohonk Preserve Director of Stewardship Chuck Reid to initiate a partnership with the SCA.

Tammy and Richard joined Mohonk Preserve in 2021 after semi-retiring to the area. The Feuers made an immediate impact through their volunteer work in a variety of activities, contributing over 1,000 hours during their first two years. By 2023 they were taking on leadership roles, with Tammy becoming the Volunteer Educators Coordinator and beginning the Meadow Guardians invasive plant strike force, and Richard becoming the steward for the Van Leuven Cabin, designing and hosting public programs in the Trapps Mountain Hamlet area. Richard was also appointed to the Preserve’s Land Management and Facilities Committee. That year, the couple were recipients of the Gregory Switlik Sr. Volunteer Achievement Award for their outstanding service.

In November of 2023, Tammy and Richard provided seed money to initiate the SCA partnership in 2024 with three SCA interns and established the Feuer Land Management Endowment Fund to ensure the legacy of the program. Income from the fund supports trail and carriage road management, forest, stream and invasive species management and habitat restoration work. A critical part of the endowment reflects Tammy and Richard’s commitment to building the next generation of conservation leaders.

Chuck Reid, who coordinates the interns at Mohonk Preserve said, “The Feuers’ support has provided critical assistance for our stewardship efforts to balance the Preserve’s commitment to a conservation-first mission with the recreational use of our lands. The interns further our efforts to address our ecosystem’s complex management challenges.”

Richard Feuer noted, “Our legacy as stewards of this land is to ensure that we create lasting trail structures to promote long-term durability against heavy use and climate impacts.”

Following a competitive application and interviewing process, three SCA interns joined the Preserve in February – Nicholas Eubank, Hannah Park and Camille Seliquini – for a 10-month program of environmental conservation experiences. All of the interns have completed college degrees in environmental areas and applied to the Preserve because of the diverse experience that they would gain by engaging with the Preserve’s Stewardship and Conservation & Community Education staff. Their roles include assisting with phenology and ecological research, education and summer camp programs, and historic carriage road and trail construction and maintenance. The interns have lived in New York, California and Kansas and share housing on the Preserve during the internship.

“I chose the SCA for its numerous professional development opportunities and the community aspect of connecting with other members and networking,” said SCA intern Hannah Park, “I chose an internship at Mohonk Preserve because of the variety of different experiences and skills learned, which is helping me hone in on what I want to do long term.”

The interns further demonstrated their commitment to conservation at the Preserve by applying for and being selected as leaders for the SCA Hudson Valley AmeriCorp’s 2024 service project in September. This project will bring together 47 SCA interns assigned to conservation organizations throughout the Hudson Valley for a three-day workshop hosted by Minnewaska State Park Preserve, the American Alpine Club and Mohonk Preserve. The goals of the workshop are to provide stewardship learning opportunities for the SCA interns and to reroute the Millbrook Mountain Trail connecting Minnewaska and Mohonk Preserve.

“We thank Tammy and Richard for their extraordinary commitment of time and energy as volunteers and for their vision and generosity in establishing the Feuer Land Management Endowment Fund,” said Mohonk Preserve President Kevin Case. “Their dedication to this organization, and more importantly to the land, will help ensure its health and well-being for generations to come.”

For more information about helping to sponsor an SCA intern or contributing to the Feuer Land Management Endowment Fund, contact Mohonk Preserve Senior Manager of Government & Funder Relations Meme Hanley at mhanley@mohonkpreserve.org.

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Five Decades of Dedication

At the April meeting of Mohonk Preserve’s Board of Directors, the group extended its thanks to Sara S. Senior for her outstanding service as a Director for 55 years from April 1969 to April 2024.

A graduate of Germantown Friends School and the University of Pennsylvania, Sara served the University as president of the General Alumni Society and as a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee. Sara first visited Mohonk Mountain House when her late husband, Dr. John Senior, was recruited as a summer resident physician at the Mountain House, where the Senior family spent the month of August for many years.

Sara joined the board of the Preserve’s predecessor organization, The Mohonk Trust, as a trustee in 1969 and was made co-chair the following year. In 1975, she was named chair of the Board of Trustees succeeding Rev. Winslow D. Shaw, who remained a trustee. She continued as chair for 30 years until 2005, when she was succeeded by longtime Mohonk Preserve Board member Ron Knapp.

One of Sara’s many notable accomplishments was leading The Mohonk Trust through the landmark 1976 court case in which the Town of Gardiner challenged the Trust’s tax-exempt status. Despite initial lost cases, Sara persevered, collaborating with the legal team and Trust supporters, to successfully appeal and win a case that became a key legal basis for New York State’s open space tax-exemption.

After the Mohonk Trust v. Assessors case was settled, in 1981 Sara presided over the reorganization of The Mohonk Trust into Mohonk Preserve, Inc., a nonprofit corporation. She was subsequently named Mohonk Preserve’s first president.

Sara once again exhibited bold leadership when launching the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center project, the organization’s first capital campaign, and raising nearly $5 million to create an award-winning “green design” building.

In addition to offering extraordinary leadership and generous financial support, Sara is a Life Member, Preserver and Legacy Society member.

In a resolution of the Preserve Board of Directors offered by Ron Knapp, he noted, “The Board wishes Sara the very best and thanks her for the friendship and support that all of us have enjoyed. We are grateful for her extraordinary tenure, deep knowledge, unbridled passion, continuing tenacity and unwavering support of Mohonk Preserve and its mission over a span of five and a half decades.”

Preserve staff members heartily concur!

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Nurture Your Legacy This Spring

Spring brings a season of growth and renewal, ideal for planting roots that will flourish far into the future. Mohonk Preserve has partnered with FreeWill in offering an accessible, no-cost resource to get started on your estate plan and align your legacy with your values. It’s a straightforward process that ensures your wishes are honored, your loved ones are cared for and the causes you support are acknowledged.

The beauty of spring is a reminder that now is the time to act. Including a legacy gift to Mohonk Preserve in your estate plan is a profound way to support our mission of protecting the Shawangunk Ridge and inspiring people to care for, enjoy and explore the natural world. Please click the button above and plant roots toward a lasting gift to the people and places you love.

P.S. If you’ve already created an estate plan and included a legacy gift to Mohonk Preserve, but haven’t let us know yet, please fill out this brief form!