The Open Space Conservancy (OCLT) will be honoring three Ulster County residents among a group of women at the 2025 Benefit Reception. The event, titled “Women at the Forefront of Conservation and Agriculture,” will be held on Thursday, June 12, from 6-9 pm at Cedar Lakes Estate in Port Jervis.

The honorees are Cari Watkins-Bates, Director of Land Conservation at Scenic Hudson, Liana Hoodes, Policy Advisor with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), and Kathleen Nolan, MD, MSL, Ulster County Legislator and Senior Research Director at Catskill Mountainkeeper.

OCLT Executive Director Jim Delaune said that the organization is thrilled to honor the trio. “Their invaluable contributions not only highlight 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.”

The event, which is being held in recognition of Women's History Month, will benefit OCLT's work to protect wildlife habitat, watersheds, and working farmland. Cari Watkins-Bates, a resident of the Town of Esopus, brings the realities of farming challenges to her position with Scenic Hudson, where she assists farm families and land protection. Liana Hoodes, a resident of the Town of Shawangunk, has spent more than 30 years working with organizations such as NOFA-NY and the National Organic Coalition on organic and sustainable agriculture policy. Dr. Kathleen Nolan, representing District No. 22 in the Ulster County Legislature (Denning, Hardenburgh, Olive, and Shandaken), is a champion for environmental protection in her roles with the Catskill Mountainkeeper, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District.