State Adds 1,200 Acres To State Parks In Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Coming on the heels of the announcement about a new state park honoring Sojourner Truth, nearly 1,200 acres of open space have been added to three state parks in the Hudson Valley.

The new parkland includes 946 acres at Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve in Dutchess and Putnam counties, 179 acres at Schunnemunk State Park in Orange County and a 33-acre property that will provide better access to the adjacent Appalachian Trail and nearby Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park In Putnam County.

Hochul said that one of her favorite pastimes is exploring the different activities and stunning views at the state parks and the additional acreage there will be even more beautiful views and trails for New Yorkers to enjoy.

"Preserving open space and expanding our parks also helps to protect the environment, create new access for outdoor recreation and boosts the local economy," she said. "Our state parks are some of New York's greatest natural treasures — and I'm excited to expand access to the great outdoors for future generations."

The new lands include 926 acres of the Scofield Ridge, which is the largest remaining private tract in the Hudson Highlands and a significant ecological and biodiversity corridor through the 8,900-acre park. Scofield Ridge was purchased from Scenic Hudson, links Breakneck and Fishkill ridges, and permanently protects portions of the Wilkinson Memorial, Notch and Breakneck Ridge trails. They are public trails maintained by State Parks, along with volunteers from the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference.

State Parks acquired a 179-acre property in the town of Cornwall from the Open Space Institute that will expand trail connections and protect a major Orange County watershed containing significant wildlife habitat. The property will serve as part of a future critical trail connection between Schunnemunk State Park, the not-for-profit Black Rock Forest, and Storm King State Park. Longer-term plans for a rail trail by Orange County would allow that trail connection to extend further south to Goosepond State Park.

The 33-acre property adjacent to the Appalachian Trial will be added to Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park. The addition provides a crucial buffer to the historic Appalachian Trail from future residential development and safeguards the area's natural resources for wildlife habitat. The property, also acquired from OSI, features an old farm road which has the potential to provide safe, off-road parking and a new trailhead, offering hikers, runners and cyclists a new entrance point into Fahnestock State Park and the Appalachian Trail.

State Parks partnered with Scenic Hudson Land Trust to protect the Scofield Ridge lands, and the Open Space Institute to protect the lands at Arden Point, Schunnemunk and Fahnestock State Parks. A combination of $9.7 million in funding from the state's Environmental Protection Fund and the federal Highlands Conservation Act Fund was used to acquire the four parcels.