Today, Marco Benevento shared he plans to stand up against the largest development in Woodstock, N.Y.’s history with The Trees Are Listening: Music for a Cause. The benefit concert for the Stop Woodstock National LLC Coalition, set to take place at Colony in Woodstock on Oct. 22 and feature Marco Benevento & Friends.

The Marco Benevento & Friends set will feature Simi Stone, Karina Rykman, Chris Corsico, Leslie Mendelson, Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls), Jeff Hill (Steve Earle), Bill Carbone (Max Creek) and Danny Blume.

The Stop Woodstock National Coalition, is a community-based group working with the Woodstock Land Conservancy, preparing to combat a plan proposed by developers operating as Woodstock National LLC to wipe out 620+ acres of forest and wetlands—the largest forested tract along Sawkill Creek—with 191 housing units, a golf course and a helipad. 

“We have so many concerns,” said Andy Mossey, the director of the Woodstock Land Conservancy of the development that has been designated a “Critical Environmental Area” by the NYSDEC because of its importance to protect “forest habitat, aquifer recharge zones, streams that feed into Sawkill Creek, wildlife habitats, and traffic.”

Stop Woodstock National, the coalition of concerned members of the community and non-profit entities, is putting the Town Board and other relevant agencies on notice with the stance that considering the negative environmental impact, the proposed project must be stopped.

This project “has the potential to permanently change the Woodstock area, both in environmental quality and community character,” added Mossey. “It’s an utterly inappropriate project in the wrong location in the wrong community.” 

Tickets are on sale now. Learn more and find tickets here.