Moss and fern parcel to join ag district

Agro-tourism not permitted

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — The owner will continue to be allowed to collect ferns and moss from his property, but he won’t be able to invite the public in as part of any agro-tourism operation.

That was the agreement county legislators came to with Stuart Salenger regarding a seven-acre lot that is adjacent to the Neversink River Unique Area. Salenger had requested that the lot be included in Sullivan County’s Agricultural District Four.

At a public hearing on the matter on July 16, several of Salenger’s neighbors turned up and said that any commercial use of the property would be unacceptable, and would have a negative impact on the protected land next to it.

The legislators voted to accept the parcel into the ag district on August 20. Legislator David Sager said that in discussing the matter further with residents, he felt that their most serious objection to including the lot in the district was the possibility that Salenger would bring many people onto the land in an agro-tourism effort. But by creating a memorandum of understanding with Salenger that agro-tourism would not be allowed on the property, that concern was being mitigated.

The memorandum specifically said that Salenger would continue to harvest moss, ferns and other plants from the parcel, and could also proceed with an agro-forest project, which would include growing some crops such as filberts and ginseng under the existing forestry.

Lawmaker Ron Hiatt said that being familiar with Salenger’s existing operation on a nearby property made him feel confident that Salenger would treat the parcel in a responsible manner, and if he did not, the county had the option of removing the parcel from the ag district in the future.

The lawmakers also voted to include a separate 100-acre parcel, also owned by Salenger, in the ag district. It is adjacent to a 24-acre parcel that was moved into the ag district last year.

The only lawmaker to vote against both resolutions was Kathy LaBuda, whose legislative district includes the parcels in question. She said the lawmakers should not approve them because of home rule considerations. The Forestburgh town board has unanimously opposed including any of Salenger’s properties in the district.

One of the benefits of being included in the district is that if the town passes zoning ordinances that hinder an agricultural operation, the owner has the ability to appeal to the Department of Agriculture and Markets in Albany.