A Family Farm Forever

Great News! The closing was held yesterday on the farm, and John and Bobbi's family are now the owners of the farm. A conservation easement has been placed on much of the land so that it will stay a farm!

Help was provided by the Warwick Conservancy, the Orange County Land Trust, the Open Space Institute, and many of people who worked toward this goal.

This is a great boon to the community, saving one of the oldest working farms in our town for future generations. It is especially welcome to the homeowners of the Wickham Water District, whose aquifer will benefit greatly from having this major recharge resource protected.

Congratulations to the John Wright family for staying the course, jumping through the many hoops necessary to get to this point, and for your patience and faith that made this happen!

Cautious Optimism

Recently a judge ruled that John and Bobbi Wright should be allowed to purchase the farm. Using funds that would come from various open space preservation sources, it is looking hopeful that the farm will remain owned by family members. While there may be further legal complications, we are "cautiously optimistic" that this pre-Revolutionary era working farm will be saved from the developers. This is very good news for Warwick.

Warwick Conservancy Supports Preservation of Farm

We met with the Warwick Conservancy today and they support efforts to preserve this resource as a working farm! They will offer some financial assistance and will network with other land preservation groups to further the effort-- Thank you, Warwick Conservancy!

Wright Farm is in danger of disappearing forever

Some people have noticed the "For Sale" sign on the southern fields of Wright Family Farm, but most don't realize that the acreage shown is for the entire farm. Due to a tangled web of legacies, there are more than a dozen family members who now own this farm. Most are willing to allow the farm to continue in operation, but to settle the long standing differences about the legacy, some family members want to "cash out" their share -- so the for sale sign went up a few months ago.

What will we be losing if this farm goes to developers? Not just a very pretty view and good neighbors!

The farm is one of Warwick's historic farms, having been in continuous operation since Revolutionary days, and is the last livestock farm operating on King's Highway and Route 94 (the colonial "King's Highway) in the Town.

It is also an essential watershed area for the Wickham Water District-- an aquifer that repeatedly in the past dozen years has been under summer-long water restrictions due to low productivity. A good portion of the farm is even included in the "Aquifer Protection Overlay District" of the town's zoning maps.

We can't afford to lose this farm! What can you do to help? As we work towards a solution to keep the farm operating, send us your email if you'd like to be kept posted, and let the Town Board and Agricultural and Open Space Advisory Board know what an essential resource it is to our community.