[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1084-E1085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MARTIN VAN BUREN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2011

  Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of New 
York's 20th District to express our sincere appreciation for the Open 
Space Institute's continued preservation and protection of the Martin 
Van Buren National Historic Site in my hometown of Kinderhook, NY.
  The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site was established by 
Congress in 1974 in order to commemorate the life and work of President 
Martin Van Buren through the preservation and interpretation of 
Lindenwald, his home and farm. When the site was established, 
Kinderhook was a rural farming community, like many towns in the Mid-
Hudson River Valley. Over the years, new homes and the loss of 
agricultural land began to threaten the area surrounding the park. 
These changes compromised the historic integrity of the property.

[[Page E1085]]

  The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a nonprofit organization that has 
worked for over 30 years to conserve land in eastern New York, New 
England, and New Jersey. The primary geographic focus of OSI's program 
has been the Hudson River Valley. To date, OSI has protected nearly 
90,000 acres for parks, farmland preservation, historic sites, and 
other conservation purposes. In partnership with the National Park 
Service (NPS), the Columbia Land Conservancy, the Town of Kinderhook, 
and others, OSI identified a ``Kinderhook Creek Conservation 
Corridor.'' Within this area lie two significant historic sites: Martin 
Van Buren National Historic Site and the Columbia County Historical 
Society's Van Alen House. In addition, this land encompasses a largely 
unspoiled agricultural landscape and a creek that is popular with 
fishermen, swimmers, and boaters. Over the years, OSI has helped 
protect nearly 1,000 acres of open space and working farmland within 
this corridor.
  Addressing the concerns of citizens and the National Park Service at 
a critical time, Open Space Institute purchased a large tract of Van 
Buren farmland, including the historic Lindenwald farm cottage. OSI 
worked with the NPS to establish easements protecting Van Buren 
resources, and held those until such time as citizens and public 
organizations, including the Friends of Lindenwald, could request and 
achieve congressional approval for a boundary expansion in 2009.
  In order to keep the farmland in agricultural use, Open Space sold a 
101-acre parcel to Roxbury Farm, a community-supported cooperative 
organic farm. Roxbury Farm agreed to the easement stipulations 
suggested by the National Park Service protecting historic resources. 
This year, OSI donated 26 acres of land within the historic core of 
Lindenwald, including a Van Buren era farm cottage, to the National 
Park Service to benefit the people of the United States.
  In addition to protecting Lindenwald in its historic agricultural 
setting, OSI has worked with the NPS to create a trail easement that 
will offer increased opportunities for public enjoyment of the park and 
surrounding land as part of an overall plan that was developed in 
concert with local landowners, citizens, and governments.
  The unique partnership between OSI, Roxbury Farm, Friends of 
Lindenwald, and the NPS has created new opportunities to help visitors 
understand the importance of agriculture in President Van Buren's life, 
the role of the changing agricultural economy before the Civil War, and 
the value of agriculture to America's future.

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