Environment DEC
From the July 2004 issue
Governor Announces Purchase of Acreage in Sullivan County
Governor George E. Pataki announced that New York State has purchased five separate parcels of land totaling 942 acres, which will result in expanded hiking and other recreational opportunities in the Catskills and protect critical natural resources along the Shawangunk Ridge and Trail in the Town of Mamakating, Sullivan County.
The property includes the following parcels:
- Konstantinoff - 370 acres
- Howell - 182 acres
- Stuzman - 151 acres
- Wurtsboro Steam Laundry - 162 acres
- Lazar - 77 acres
These acquisitions will provide a link from the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area to the Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest and northeast to the Shawangunk Ridge State Forest. The purchase price for the five properties is $937,700 and will be paid for through the state Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
A Rare and Critical Place
The Shawangunk Ridge offers unique
natural resources, abundant recreational
opportunities and scenic vistas
The Shawangunks hold a special place in the hearts of hikers, rock climbers and nature lovers from around the country and the world. This remarkable landscape supports an outstanding array of rare plant and animals species and provides exceptional recreational opportunities for more than 500,000 New Yorkers and visitors to the region each year. It is a highly visible natural landmark that forms the dramatic backdrop for a large portion of the Mid-Hudson Valley in Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties.
The area encompasses a portion of the 35-mile Shawangunk Ridge Trail, a hiking trail that traverses the geologically unique Shawangunk Ridge. It links public lands from the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area to Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve and provides several scenic viewpoints.
The Shawangunk Ridge also is a critical watershed recharge area, supplying water for aquifers that provide drinking water for the communities along the ridge.
Cooperative Effort
The state was assisted in these purchases by the Open Space Institute (OSI), the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference-three non-profit conservation groups working to expand open space protection along the Shawnagunk Ridge and elsewhere in New York State.
The state also is working with the Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership, composed of The Nature Conservancy, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), DEC, OSI Friends of the Shawangunks, Mohonk Preserve and the New York Natural Heritage Program, to protect the elements of biological diversity and other natural and scenic resources of the Shawangunks by sharing resources and ideas.
The Bashakill Wildlife Management Area consists of about 2,200 acres of upland wetlands and hiking trails. Facilities include access for the physically challenged, boat access, parking lots, viewing tower, scenic vistas of the Shawangunk Ridge and Bashakill, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing and trapping.
The Shawangunk Ridge is listed as a priority project in the Open Space Conservation Plan in recognition of its unique natural resources, abundant recreational opportunities and scenic significance. During the past decade, in addition to these most recent acquisitions, the state has acquired more than 6,700 acres along the ridge and links to the Catskill Park, investing more than $6 million in EPF funds to conserve this important natural asset.
