Barbara Lynn Turner Miller
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Noted environmental strategist Ben Goldsmith, left, of Somerset, England, engages in conversation with Dr. Joshua Ginsberg, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, during a Troutbeck program on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Photo by Leila Hawken
AMENIA — The intriguing movement known as “rewilding” as an environmental strategy drew a large and diverse audience to Troutbeck on Saturday, Nov. 8, to hear a conversation between noted environmentalist Ben Goldsmith and Dr. Joshua R. Ginsberg, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
“It’s exciting to do something together with the Cary Institute,” said Troutbeck co-owner Charlie Champalimaud as she introduced the program.
Definition of the term came first as Ginsberg noted that different meanings can apply.
“In Britain the landscape is managed, not the wildlife,” said Goldsmith who owns 12,000 acres in Somerset, England. Under his care, his land has become a natural home, attracting a variety of wildlife species, all a benefit to a larger ecosystem.
Due to a monocultural view of land use focused on farming alone, the English landscape had been drained of all nature, Goldsmith explained. To receive public funding, landowners have been required to be cultivating the land for farming.
Cropland is silent, however.
“I refused to accept the idea that there is no place for wildlife,” Goldsmith said, adding “Our happiest moments stem from contact with nature.” Profound grief over the accidental death of his daughter, Iris, was assuaged over time by literal immersion in the natural world.
Goldsmith sees nature as a source of spiritual renewal. His work is to envision landscapes and ways to help them recover their diverse wildness through natural process, rather than intervention.
“We have glowworms back in Somerset, England,” Goldsmith proclaimed, describing “a riot of noise” emanating from rewilded land.
Growing up with Central Park nearby, Ginsberg noted that his father served as the NYC Commissioner of Parks, leading Ginsberg to spend many boyhood hours fascinated by the rat population in one section of the park.
Goldsmith is integral to initiatives such as “Nattergal,” a British nature recovery company, and the “Conservation Collective,” a network of local environmental foundations.
“The greatest challenge is to overcome the culture of opposition,” Goldsmith said, adding that to achieve recovery one must encourage the doubters to participate.
Young farmers in Britain, for example, are willingly changing from sheep farming to cattle, the latter’s grazing habits to be better for the natural landscape to thrive.
Moving to the topic of historical ecology, Ginsberg noted that members of indigenous communities in the U.S. are contributing historic insight into landscape management to provide food and habitat for wildlife.
“We’ve lost an abundance, but rewilding is igniting the enthusiasm,” Goldsmith said.
“We can have it back if we want it,” both concluded.
A conservation scientist, Ginsberg has formerly served as Senior Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Global Program.
Questions from the audience raised the issue of higher-density housing and its impact on the environment. Ginsberg suggested that expanding an area already given to smaller lots is likely to be less harmful to the environment than development spread out over large areas.
To learn more about rewilding, go to www.rewildingtheworld.com.
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Photo by Aly Morrissey
Demolition of the old Millerton Water Department building is nearly complete, clearing the way for construction of a new permanent facility that will house essential testing and mechanical equipment. Mayor Jenn Najdek said during the Monday, Nov. 10, meeting of the Village of Millerton Board of Trustees that the design will be “no-frills but fully functional,” allowing both village wells to tie into one coordinated system once final plans are approved.
Millerton trustees take up zoning changes; sets public hearing for a parking-related local law
Nov 12, 2025
The Millerton Village Offices on Route 22.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Village Board of Trustees used its Monday, Nov. 10, workshop meeting to tackle long-discussed zoning reforms and parking pressures in the business district, while also advancing several infrastructure and policy items.
Much of the meeting focused on what trustees and residents described as “outdated” zoning code and a process that can be slow and confusing for applicants. The discussion was sparked by an idea raised by Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Kelly Kilmer to consider merging the ZBA and Planning Board.
The village attorney outlined three broad options under state law. One would eliminate the Planning Board entirely and give the ZBA authority over site plans and special permits. A second would give the ZBA most of those powers but keep some higher-level reviews with the Village Board. A third option would keep both boards, but rewrite the zoning code to reduce how often applications require formal board review.
Officials agreed the core problem goes beyond board vacancies, which were resolved for the foreseeable future with village trustees appointing two members and an alternate to each board with a renewed expectation of regular training and clearer procedures.
The Board also returned to a familiar complaint of the shortage of parking in the business district. The conversation related to zoning in that the code still requires spaces that often don’t physically exist. Officials noted that existing buildings frequently need variances to make modifications, which the board noted can lead to empty buildings or stalled requests.
To address that, trustees are considering a local law that would exempt existing commercial buildings in the business district from off-street parking requirements unless they expand their footprint. The Board voted to set a public hearing on the proposed parking law for Monday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. The measure will also be referred to Dutchess County Planning and Development for comment.
In her mayor’s report, Mayor Jenn Najdek said demolition at the damaged water and highway building is nearly complete. Engineers are finalizing plans for a permanent, no-frills water department building. Once plans are in hand, Najdek said “time is of the essence” to move quickly into construction.
In other business, trustees approved a franchise renewal agreement with Optimum/Altice securing, among other items, free WiFi at Eddie Collins Memorial Park and at Village Hall/Police Department for municipal use.
The Board also adopted a plain-language website privacy policy required for municipalities operating .gov domains, formally explaining how the village collects and uses online contact and payment information.
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Amenia Town Board adopts 2026 Town Budget
AMENIA — Amenia Town Board members adopted the 2026 Town Budget following limited public comment at a regular meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Councilmember Brad Rebillard had been present for a portion of an executive session that preceded the regular meeting but had left the meeting before the public agenda opened.
Two public hearings were conducted during the meeting. The first that concerned passing a law to override the tax cap in connection with the 2026 town budget, drew no comment from residents.
The second public hearing on the proposed 2026 town budget drew a single comment from newly-elected historical society president Judy Westfall, who sought Town Board comment on why the line item for the historical society did not reflect her request for an increase.
With no further comment the public hearing closed.
Blackman sought the advice of town attorney Ian Lindars, asking whether a budget public hearing and a vote to adopt a budget could occur at the same meeting, receiving Lindars’ assurance that it was allowable.
Adoption of the proposed budget for 2026 was included in the consent agenda for the meeting, so no further comment or discussion occurred.
By unanimous vote the consent agenda passed and the Town Budget for 2026 was adopted.
A history of complaints from residents concerned about parking on Mechanic Street led the Town Board to seek to create changes to the local laws on parking, an issue that was discussed at the regular meeting on Thursday.
In response to residents’ parking complaints, the Town Board had asked attorney Ian Lindars to draft changes to the parking regulations to include rules for parking at electric vehicle charging stations and specifying allowable parking along Mechanic Street.
A public hearing on the changes to the local law has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4, beginning at 7 p.m.
At the request of Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, Lindars reviewed the changes to the local laws that will be the subject of the December public hearing.
Lindars indicated that the new regulations will also answer residents’ concerns, prohibiting through-truck traffic along the length of Sharon Station Road that lies within the town.
The portion of the new law that concerns charging stations for electric vehicles specifies that the space is limited to that single purpose and none other.
Mechanic Street parking prohibitions are specific. On the east side of the street, cars will not be allowed to park within 107 feet measured southward from the stop sign at the corner of Route 343. On the west side of the street, parking would be prohibited within the 40 feet that extends southward from the southern end of the crosswalk. And then, only one car will be permitted to park between that 40-foot point and the telephone pole that stands 62 feet to the south.
Fines are specified to enforce the parking regulations. The first offense will carry a $100 fine, the second a $200 fine, and the third, $300, if all three occurred within an 18-month period. There are also provisions for towing at the owner’s expense.