Environment DEC
From the December 2003 issue
Adirondack Stewardship Award Announced
DEC recently honored the Open Space Institute (OSI) and its President, Joseph Martens, with the 12th annual Adirondack Stewardship Award for their efforts to protect critical open space and enhance public access to Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondacks.
Open Space Institute
Founded in 1963, OSI is a nonprofit land conservation organization that works to permanently protect landscapes of significant environmental, historical and agricultural value. OSI has protected more than 90,000 acres in New York, and was recently involved in a project that was the Institute's largest-ever land preservation endeavor in the Adirondacks, the acquisition of the 10,000-acre Tahawus tract.
Tahawus
Earlier this year, OSI acquired the Tahawus tract in the Adirondack Mountain's High Peaks Region, in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County. Governor George E. Pataki recently joined OSI and DEC in opening almost 6,000 acres of these lands to the public. The rugged and mountainous property contains significant natural resources, including Mount Adams and Henderson Lake, the headwaters of the Hudson River. The pristine 450-acre Henderson Lake is now opened to the public for fishing and non-motorized boat use for the first time in more than 175 years.
About 3,000 acres of the tract will be protected by conservation easements that provide public access, limit development and provide sustainable management of a working forest. About 400 acres of the tract, including the former mining Village of Adirondac, will be managed as a historic district.
Other OSI Projects
The Mill Creek Conservation Area is a 215-acre preserve located in the Town of Johnsburg in Warren County. The property provides public access to 1.3 miles of northern Hudson River shoreline and nearly a quarter-mile stretch of Mill Creek. Activities include fishing, picnicking and hiking. The Town of Johnsburg manages the area.
Spier Falls is located near the Adirondack Park in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. This 3,400-acre property, located in the towns of Lake Luzerne and Queensbury in Warren County and the Town of Moreau in Saratoga County, includes 14 miles of Hudson River shoreline. The State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation now manages the roughly 3,200-acre southern portion of the Spier Falls property, which adjoins Moreau Lake State Park. In addition, OSI established the Hudson Point Nature Preserve south of the Spier Falls Dam. The Preserve contains several miles of nature trails that run along a steep bluff overlooking the Hudson River and a nearby boardwalk.
