OCLT to Honor Women at the Forefront of Conservation and Agriculture at 2025 Benefit Reception, Thursday, June 12th.
Mountainville, NY (OCLT) – OCLT will honor Women at the Forefront of Conservation and Agriculture at their 2025 Benefit Reception, taking place on Thursday, June 12th from 6-9 pm at Cedar Lakes Estate in Port Jervis. The announcement was made in recognition of Women’s History Month.
The 10 honorees include:
Cari Watkins-Bates, Director of Land Conservation, Scenic Hudson
Christina Chan, Farmer/Owner, Choy Division
Liana Hoodes, Policy Advisor, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York Lucy Joyce, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County
Virginia Kasinki, Executive Director, Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative
Melinda Meddaugh, Agriculture & Food Systems Issue Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County Kathleen Nolan, Senior Research Director, Catskill Mountainkeeper
Sharon Soons, Co-owner, Soons Orchard and Vice chairman, OC Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board Terri Thal, President, West Branch Conservation Association
Karen Washington, Farmer/Co-owner, Rise and Root Farm
“We’re delighted to honor these trailblazers,” stated OCLT Executive Director Jim Delaune. “Their invaluable contributions not only highlights their utmost commitment to conservation and agriculture, but also the critical role these women play in protecting our local landscapes and the legacy we leave for future generations.”
All proceeds from the event support OCLT’s mission of protecting important wildlife habitat, watersheds, and working farmland. Those interested in supporting the event through sponsorship and journal advertising opportunities can visit https://www.oclt.org/2025-benefit-reception/
Orange County Land Trust is dedicated to conserving Orange County's watersheds, agricultural lands, and natural habitats through conservation agreements with willing landowners. For more information call (845) 534-3690 or visit www.oclt.org
2025 BENEFIT RECEPTION
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 6-9 pm.
Cedar Lakes Estate, Port Jervis, NY.
Bringing Conservation Together from the Hudson to the Delaware Rivers
Honoring Women at the Forefront of Conservation and Agriculture:
Cari Watkins-Bates, Christina Chan, Liana Hoodes, Lucy Joyce,
Melinda Meddaugh, Kathleen Nolan, Sharon Soons, Terri Thal, Virginia Kasinki, and Karen Washington
Honoree Bios
Cari Watkins-Bates (Ulster County) - Having grown up working on a dairy farm, Cari possesses firsthand knowledge of the myriad challenges that farmers encounter in their daily lives. This personal experience has fueled her passion for helping farmers and commitment to farmland protection. As Director of Land Conservation at Scenic Hudson, Cari works closely with local farm families to support their operations while ensuring their land remains dedicated to agriculture.
Christina Chan (Orange County) - Christina is a rising star among the next generation of farmers. She is the owner and operator of Choy Division, an organic diversified vegetable farm in the black dirt region ofChester, NY, and the Farmer Training Program Coordinator at Glynwood. Christina holds a Master of Science in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She is a graduate of GrowNYC's
Beginning Farmer Training program and is an alumni of Glynwood's Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator.
Liana Hoodes (Ulster County) - Liana has been a leader in organic and sustainable agriculture policy issues for over 30 years. Liana is a Policy Advisor with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), where she works on federal and state policy issues to advance organic food and agriculture. As past Executive Director of the National Organic Coalition, Liana led efforts to enhance federal organic and sustainable agriculture policies. In addition, Liana worked with the Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiatives (NUFFI) and served as Program Coordinator at the Downing Park Urban Farm (DPUF). She currently works at the DPUF and several other Newburgh gardens as a youth educator with Our Core, Inc.
Lucy Joyce (Orange County) - Lucy is Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County. Her drive and vision played a pivotal role in the development of Cornell Cooperative Extension Education
Center & 4-H Park in Otisville, NY. This multi-million dollar community development facility, which broke ground in October 2013, is integral for expanding educational and community programs in Agriculture and
Natural Resources, Family, Food, Nutrition, and 4-H Youth Development for the public. Lucy’s dedication to agriculture in Orange County spans decades. In 1996, Lucy co-authored Agricultural and Farmland Protection Planning: A Case Study in Orange County, New York, in collaboration with Cornell University’s
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Lucy also previously served on the Orange County Land Trust’s board of directors.
Melinda Meddaugh (Sullivan County) - Melinda is Agriculture & Food Systems Sr. Issue Leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County. In 2024, Melinda helped lay the foundation to establish a farmland protection program in Sullivan County. Her leadership earned the support of the Sullivan County
Legislature and County Manager and, as a result, Sullivan County Government allocated funding for farmland protection in their 2025 budget. Melinda is co-founder of the Rock Hill Farmers’ Market, secretary
of the Rock Hill Business & Community Association, and Deputy Supervisor for the Town of Thompson. She has also served on the Town of Thompson Planning Board.
Kathleen Nolan, MD, MSL (Ulster County) - Kathy is a member of the Ulster County Legislature representing District No. 22, which includes the Towns of Denning, Hardenburgh, Olive, and Shandaken. Kathy is also Senior Research Director at Catskill Mountainkeeper, an environmental organization focused
on the greater Catskills region. In addition, Kathy serves as President of the New York Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and on the board of directors for Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Most recently, Kathy played an integral role in Ulster County’s agricultural crisis relief and community preservation efforts.
Sharon Soons (Orange County) - Sharon is a fourth-generation farmer and co-owner of Soons Orchards in New Hampton, NY, one of the Hudson Valley’s most well-known apple orchards. As Vice Chairman of the Orange County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board, Sharon is committed to sustaining Orange County’s agricultural economy for future generations and advocating for farmland protection in the County. Sharon is also a member of the New York Farm Bureau Labor Committee and serves as an advocate on
agricultural issues when meeting with elected officials and business leaders.
Terri Thal, MPA (Rockland County) - Terri is a longtime board member of West Branch Conservation Association, the first land trust in Rockland County, and a member of the Rockland Water Coalition. Terri’s but still active in protecting land and water, has managed not-for-profit organizations, most recently served
as Executive Director of Maternal Infant Service Network of Orange, Sullivan & Ulster Counties. Terri is the author of My Greenwich Village: Dave, Bob and Me, a memoir about her life in Greenwich Village’s folk music scene in the 1960s, including her time as Bob Dylan's first manager and manager of Dave Van Ronk,
the Roche Sisters, Paul Geremia, and the Holy Modal Rounders.
Virginia Kasinki (Orange County) - Virginia is the Executive Director of Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Inc. (NUFFI), a not-for-profit organization with a mission to build a sound food system in the City of Newburgh. NUFFI grows healthy produce for Newburgh residents; educates youth and adults on how to grow food in an urban setting; and demonstrates environmental practices that improve the health of the community. With community leaders and residents, NUFFI has conducted an in-depth study of the current
state of food security in Newburgh. As a Newburgh native, Virginia is deeply committed to uplifting the greater Newburgh community through community gardening and expanding access to healthy food.
Karen Washington (Orange County) - Karen is a farmer and activist. She is co-owner/farmer at Rise & Root Farm in Chester, NY. A pioneer in the world of urban agriculture; in 2010, she co-founded Black Urban rowers (BUGS), an organization supporting growers in both urban and rural settings. Karen has received numerous awards; most recently the co-recipient of the 2023 James Beard Humanitarian Award and the 2024 Emerson Collective Fellowship. She has been credited with the term “food apartheid” to replace “food
desert,” to bring to the forefront the inequities within the food system. Mama K, as she is known in the community, serves on the boards of the New York Botanical Gardens, Black Farmer Fund, Soul Fire Farm, the Mary Mitchell Center, and Green Workers Cooperative.
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