FW: Farm Catskills Fundraiser at applewood THIS SUNDAY!

What if they built a natural gas well or service station here? applewood needs you to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is at our Farm Catskills Fundraiser THIS SUNDAY NIGHT this is an urgent plea to HELP SAVE THE ENDANGERED ORGANIC FARMLAND (PICTURED ABOVE) FROM NON-FARM DEVELOPMENT Only with your help can we ensure that this land currently farmed by Lucky Dog Organics will be preserved for agricultural use forever Sunday, February 8th 6:00 p.m. $20 per person includes admission and hors d'oeuvres (full cash bar available) EVERY PENNY GOES TO FARM CATSKILLS Please join us for a fun-filled evening of wine and cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction to save valuable, endangered, and irreplaceable farmland in upstate New York. We need immediate donations of cash or checks to reach our goal of raising $30,000 to save this land. all donations are tax deductible Please make your checks payable to: Farm Catskills c/o applewood 501 11th Street Brooklyn NY 11215 or just come to the event and bid on such wonderful items as: paintings by local artists Beth Reisman, Shelton Walsmith, Becky Serrell, Matthew Myers, Judith Lamb, Michael Ingui, and Sandra Garlick one week of summer camp at Creative Theatrics Summer Theater Workshop photography by local photographers Dana Matthews, Sara Wight, John Cyr, and John Rajes a one-year membership to the Pellegrini Family Wine Club gift certificates to Juice Box, La Esquina, and Mas three subscriptions to the Edible Magazines a behind-the-scenes tour of the American Museum of Natural History's Dinosaur Collections jewelry by Beverly Eichenlaub, Eve Martinez, and Meredith Weaver antique collectibles from Michael and Betty Howard tattoo by Todd Woodzart hand-thrown pottery by Tim Farrell VIP seating for Thursday night "movie under the stars" in DUMBO fine wines, armangnac, and cognac yoga classes with Patty Swander swedish massage and spa pass from Body by Brooklyn private tour of the upcoming brooklyn bridge park site "closet cleanse" package by Jessica Cadmus children's book libraries from Melanie Cecka in-home tutoring with David Levi collection of works by Kris Waldherr ___________ please read below for complete information on the easement and why this fundraiser is so important: Our good friends, Richard Giles and Holley White of Lucky Dog Organics in Hamden, New York, have provided applewood with some of the most purely beautiful and amazingly delicious organic produce we've ever seen! Their dedication to their land, their crops, and their family of farmers epitomizes all that sustainable farming can be. One of the pieces of farmland that Lucky Dog Farm leases for growing vegetables has been at high risk for non-farm development. Quality farmland is already scarce enough in the western Catskill Mountains where Lucky Dog Farm grows vegetables that end up in Park Slope. But the level flood plain along the West Branch of the Delaware River, a source of Brooklyn water, is at constant further risk from unwise commercial development. "If you're a contractor thinking of building a service station or a sewer plant, your eyes don't wander up the mountainside. The impulse is toward cheap, level, and easy...and once the farmland is gone, it's gone for good." - Richard Giles Even as we in this community enlighten ourselves about the values of eating local food, more and more "local" farmland goes under concrete. This is a nationwide problem, but when the farmland in question is so near to so many eaters, the result is tragic. Here's the good news: The State of New York purchases the development rights on some at-risk farmland and is currently considering an easement on some of the valley farmland leased by Lucky Dog Farm. A grant from the state would pay the landowner for the easement, thus satisfying his financial interests, and the easement the state purchased would prevent development of the land. These easements are a highly effective way of keeping farmland from being covered in concrete. And this is where we as eaters need to step forward: The NY state easement grants require that the landowner or some other entity put up 25% of the value of the easement. Lucky Dog has a verbal commitment from the Open Space Institute to contribute 12.5%, and so we still need to raise the other 12.5%--about $30,000. There will never be a better chance to put you money where your mouth is. If you can't join us for the party, but would still like to help, we are accepting donations for our silent auction at applewood. The party will be on Sunday, February 8th, and we are excited about the donations we've already received: paintings, photography, walking tours, spa and restaurant gift certificates, to name a few. We are also, and will continue to be, collecting direct financial donations for the easement. Farm Catskills, a regional farm advocacy non-profit group is leading the effort to raise funds and you can write your checks to them and send them to us at: applewood 501 11th Street Brooklyn NY 11215 to the farm: Lucky Dog Organics P.O. Box 51 Hamden, NY 13782 or to: Farm Catskills 87 Sal Bren Rd., Suite 1 Delhi, NY 13753-1440 `