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27-754: A group of farmers, ranchers, and conservationists including Margaret (Peggy) Rockefeller , Patrick Noonan and William K. Reilly , founded AFT in 1980. Norm Berg, former Chief of the Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service ), was an AFT senior advisor for 25 years. Otto C. Doering III, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Jim Moseley, former USDA Deputy Secretary, serve on AFT's board of directors. AFT

54-589: A breeder of Simmental cattle , purchasing four farms in western Columbia County, N.Y. in the 1980s, including The Hermitage , a Livingston family estate which she had torn down in 1983. Margaret Rockefeller was the sole founder of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and was its chair for a number of years. The Trust has conserved around 66,000 acres and many buildings in Maine and works towards keeping wildlife habitats, establishing public access to

81-467: A female householder with no husband present and 23.3% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64 and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

108-637: A royal decree in 1700 settling a boundary dispute did Bedford become part of New York . The town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains , until Bedford was burned by the British in July 1779. British forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton burned the town leaving only one structure standing in

135-593: A series of six books about the wild flowers of America in response to an idea from Margaret who raised $ 500,000 for the project by organizing the National Committee for the Wild Flowers of the United States. The gardens restored a two-acre rose garden in 1988 which had originally been designed by Beatrix Jones Farrand in 1915. Margaret's husband donated $ 1 million for the project and it was named

162-567: A way to bring about multiple environmental benefits including carbon sequestration . In 2017, AFT became the first United States Climate Alliance Impact Partner in an effort to implement policies and programs that "sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gases on agricultural lands while improving farm resiliency and productivity." In 2020, AFT launched the Farmer Relief Fund, which provided grants of up to $ 1,000 to small and mid-size direct-market producers with demonstrated need due to

189-525: Is a large 500-plus-year-old white oak known as the Bedford Oak. The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is located in the town. As of the 2000 census, there were 18,133 people, 5,731 households and 4,395 families residing in the town. The population density was 486.9 inhabitants per square mile (188.0/km ). There were 6,020 housing units at an average density of 161.6 units per square mile (62.4 units/km ). The racial/ethnic makeup of

216-705: Is a small graveyard dating back to the founding of the town; the old one-room stone schoolhouse; and a few colonial-era houses, still lived in, which are kept painted white with black or green shutters. The Bedford Free Library is located in Bedford on the village green. Along with the branches in Bedford Hills and Katonah, the Bedford Free Library is part of the Westchester Library System . Along Route 22, at Hook Road, there

243-616: Is located in the town of Bedford. The river flows south through the entirety of the Mianus River Gorge Preserve and eventually leaves the town and enters Stamford, Connecticut . In the hamlet of Katonah are two national historic landmarks, which are "Stepping Stones - Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson" (home of the Alcoholics Anonymous co-founders; "Bill W.", who died in 1971 and "Lois W.", who died in 1988) and "John Jay Homestead", home of one of

270-552: Is not only to protect farmland from being developed for other uses, but also to promote farming methods that prevent soil erosion and ensure good soil health. Other organizations she supported include membership of Nature Conservation and National Historic Trust. She was a trustee of the New York Philharmonic from 1953 to 1970 and was a board member of the New York Botanical gardens. The garden produced

297-611: The Electric Power Research Institute and an expert advisory committee, AFT launched the first and largest water quality credit trading program in the United States to improve water quality in the Ohio River basin. The program received the U.S. Water Prize in 2015. AFT leads Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) which connects New York farms to publicly funded institutions in the state. AFT promotes farming practices that improve soil health as

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324-643: The Environmental Quality Incentives Program . AFT advocated to increase funding for the ACEP by supporting the passing of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 which would increase the program's funding by $ 2 billion over the span of 10 years. Margaret Rockefeller Margaret McGrath Rockefeller (September 28, 1915 – March 26, 1996) was a founding member of two land conservation organizations:

351-772: The Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 1970 and the American Farmland Trust which was formed in 1980 as a national farmland conservation organization. Throughout her life she was a board member of many organizations and raised funds for conservation projects across the United States of America. She died in 1996 at the age of 80 in New York Hospital. Margaret was born to Francis Sims and Neva van Zandt Smith McGrath on 28 September 1915. Growing up in Mt. Kisco, NY she went to school first at

378-522: The "Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden". Margaret died on March 26, 1996, apparently from complications following heart surgery. Bedford (town), New York Bedford is an incorporated town in Westchester County , New York . The population was 17,309 at the 2020 census. Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills , Bedford , and Katonah . The town of Bedford

405-615: The Arts , Palmer-Lewis Estate and The Woodpile are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 39.4 square miles (102.1 km ), of which 37.2 square miles (96.3 km ) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.8 km ), or 5.70%, is water. The town is bordered to the west by Mount Kisco and the town of New Castle , to

432-824: The Rippowam School in Bedford, NY followed by the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa ., then the Chapin School in New York. In the 1930s, she met David Rockefeller whom she married in 1940 at Bedford, New York. During the 1970s, Margaret started to raise cattle on land close to Rockefeller summer home at Seal Harbor, Bartlett Island in Maine and then at the couple's home in Tarrytown, N.Y. She became

459-782: The United States Founding Fathers and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Some minor landmarks are centered on Bedford Green in the Town of Bedford's Hamlet of "Bedford", a small patch of green space at the center of the Bedford Village Historic District (along Route 22 ), including the former court house, the oldest government building in Westchester County and now a museum. There

486-579: The coast, and providing educational support. One of the trust's projects is dedicated to the memory of Margaret Rockefeller, the Stone Barns Center, which displays a plaque commemorating her commitment to farmland preservation. Although the American Farmland Trust was founded by a group of farmers including Margaret, she is recognized as its instigator. Other founders include Patrick Noonan and William K. Reilly . Its remit

513-744: The conservation coalition that played a significant role in the development of the Food Security Act of 1985 which established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). AFT's work as a proponent of the expansion of government-funded agriculture programs led to the passing of the 2002 Farm Bill and the authorization of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (succeeded by the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program, or ACEP) and

540-631: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic . In the same year, AFT became a national sponsor of the Leopold Conservation Award Program, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of more than 100 voluntary conservationists annually. AFT has helped shape U.S. farm bills since the 1980s. AFT published the policy document Soil Conservation in America: What Do We Have to Lose? in 1984 and was a member of

567-646: The river is also located in the town. The river originates in a series of small ponds in Armonk and flows north into the town of Bedford. The river flows north along Greenwich Road and begins to turn just south of the Bedford Village Town Park before crossing Greenwich Road. The river reaches its northernmost point at the entrance of Middle Patent Road. The river then runs south and enters the Mianus River Gorge Preserve which

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594-556: The south by Armonk in the town of North Castle , to the north by Lewisboro and to the east by Pound Ridge . The Cross River Reservoir is situated on the northern portion of the town. The town is part of the Croton River watershed . The northern portion of the Byram Lake Reservoir is situated on the southern limits of the town. The Mianus River runs throughout the town of Bedford. The northernmost point of

621-410: The town was 87.5% white , 7.12% black , 1.98% Asian and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.57% of the population. 0.09% ethnic Native American . .08% ethnic Pacific Islander and 1.88% from other ethnicities . There were 5,731 households, out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had

648-596: The town. After the Revolution, Bedford was made one of two seats of county government, alternating with White Plains , until 1870. Westchester County's oldest government building is the Court House in Bedford village, which was built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s. Stepping Stones - Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson (respective cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups), Bedford Village Historic District , Caramoor Center for Music and

675-407: Was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 100,053 and the median income for a family was $ 118,820. Males had a median income of $ 88,561 versus $ 47,468 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 53,046. About 2.4% of families and 4.9% of the population were below

702-409: Was founded on December 23, 1680, when 22 Puritans from Stamford, Connecticut , purchased a tract of land three miles square known as the "Hopp Ground" from Chief Katonah and several other Native Americans for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth. Bedford was made a part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square. Only when King William III of England issued

729-593: Was one of the first agricultural land trusts in the nation and is the only one with a national scope. In 1985, AFT protected Wolfe's Neck Farm with an agricultural conservation easement . In 2000, AFT launched Smart Growth America . AFT helped create state and local land trusts throughout the country including the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust in 1995 and the Texas Agricultural Land Trust in 2006. In 2012, with

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