John and Katie Rybinski of Manlius, Onondaga County, NY.

Why did you choose to conserve your land?  What motivated you?

My grandfather’s 250 acre farm in Cazenovia that I grew up on was eventually subdivided to the point that it had lost most of its agricultural, recreational and wildlife value.  When I was a young kid I always dreamed of having the farm intact as I enjoyed the land so much, but circumstances occurred that lead to the parcelization of the farm.

Also, observing the runaway development of the Central New York area in the past 30 years made me think more needs to be done to preserve land for wildlife, agriculture and recreation reasons.

How did you conserve your land?

I worked with the Land Trust to place a conservation easement on our property.

What makes your land so special to you?

My 250 acre property I acquired from purchasing four parcels over time and combing them into one.  The purchases saved the land from development as all my land was slated to be developed.  Fortunately, I was able to purchase this property and preserve it for the next generations to come.