Tracy Schuh to receive 2024 Louis Mills Conservation Award from OCLT

Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) will present Tracy Schuh, Chester resident and president of The Preservation Collective, with the 2024 Louis Mills Conservation Award during the Celebration for Conservation fundraiser on Thursday, August 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery.

According to OCLT, Schuh will receive the award in recognition of her longtime advocacy on local conservation and land use issues. OCLT gave a rundown of Schuh’s efforts over the years: Schuh began attending local town and planning board meetings on a regular basis in 2003 after reading about a public hearing for a large housing project that she felt had the potential to impact private drinking water wells. To call more attention to the issue, she established The Preservation Collective (TPC), a non-profit organization that “aims to help educate the public, encourage their involvement, and coordinate with local leaders and planners in an effort to see the implementation of meaningful environmental preservation practices that protect the region’s scenery, natural resources, and cultural heritage.”

“Through the years I’ve found it is most beneficial when we all work collectively with other organizations and members of the community on raising awareness about the negative environmental impacts of certain land use decisions, as well as share educational resources to empower others to advocate for the benefits of open space, historic preservation, greenway corridors, and water protection. These core goals were at the heart of TPC from the beginning and hold true today,” stated Schuh.

According to OCLT Executive Director Jim Delaune, Schuh’s award is much deserved. “For over two decades, Tracy has been a staple at town board, planning, and zoning meetings in and around the town of Chester as an advocate for agriculture, open space, and quality of life. She is a true ambassador for land conservation and her community,” Delaune stated.

Schuh is a member of the town of Chester’s Conservation Advisory Council, its Comprehensive Plan Committee, and the Moodna Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council on behalf of TPC, as well as a volunteer with the NY-NJ Trail Conference and OCLT. Previously, she was a member of the town of Chester’s Community Preservation Plan committee and Orange County Open Space Alliance. She was also the recipient of Orange Environment’s Kissam Award in 2004.

Tickets for OCLT’s Celebration for Conservation are $100 and include a farm-to-table buffet, as well as hard ciders, wines, and a specialty cocktail courtesy of the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery. The event will also feature live music by Dave Reiss and an informational table about the land trust’s Gibraltar Rock Community Forest project through the U.S. Forest Service. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased on OCLT’s website at oclt.org.

All proceeds support OCLT’s watershed, habitat, and farmland protection efforts. To learn more about The Preservation Collective, visit thepreservationcollective.com. For more information on OCT, call 845-534-3690.