92 Additional Acres Expands Protected Farm

The Albright Family is protecting 92 acres of farmland in the Town of Ontario. Eight Generations in Wayne County—that means a lot to John and Liz Albright. It is their hope that generations beyond their children and grandchildren will love and cherish this land as much as they do. "I wanted to find a way to protect this place," John states. "No matter what, so the land will still be here. This was my grandfather's land, and his grandfather's before that."

THE LEGACY

Photos courtesy of Nigel P. Kent and the Albright family

Abraham Albright was born in 1816 on the Atlantic Ocean during his parent's journey from the Netherlands to Pultneyville. Abraham moved west to settle in the Town of Ontario. From father to son, the land passed down to the current generation of John and his brother James.

The farm that the Albright brothers, and their families, now own was the land of their childhood. They visited their grandparents' farm and helped with chores from planting a pine plantation to picking apples. They also spent hours in the woods, hunting and exploring, developing a strong bond with the land they have passed down to their children.

According to John Albright, "We have to keep big chunks of land open, woods for wildlife and good land for farming. If you cannot grow food, we will all be in trouble." He adds, "I have watched as good farmland is taken for housing developments."

The project expands the farm that the Albrights protected in 2007 to a total of 431 acres. The rolling land along Lake and Knickerbocker Roads includes orchards, open fields, with an old-growth forest behind and land extending to Lake Ontario.

FOR THE FUTURE

According to Liz, "We cannot direct the future, but we feel it is so important to pass forward the land that Abraham Albright settled back in 1866 to our children and to future generations."

The permanent protection of the Albright Farms were made possible by grants from the New York State and USDA Farmland Protection Program and Genesee Land Trust members and supporters. Photos from John and Liz Albright and by Nigel P. Kent.