My father began assembling land in the Shawangunk Ridge wilderness in 1955 when he was 24. He first leased some land he later bought that included Lake Haseco (Mud Pond) from the Bruyn Family. Later, in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, he leased the cabin at Lake Awosting from Ken Phillips, who had bought Awosting Lake from one of the Smiley Brothers of Mohonk. He escaped from New York City and spent weekends year-round at the lake for quite a few years. He fell in love with my mother when he saw how at home she was at the Lake, and they were married, welcoming twin boys soon after.
When Ken Phillips sold Awosting Lake to New York State in the early ‘70’s, my father purchased an adjacent Girl Scout camp called Camp Ridge-Ho and called it the Awosting Reserve. He maintained and improved dozens of tent platforms, cabins, outdoor kitchens and other camp-related buildings and started the Awosting Reserve Junior Ranger Program. With wilderness education being so important to him, he now had an infrastructure for this to become a reality.
In 1978 tragedy struck, and my mother and twin brothers were killed on Halloween night by a drunk driver. They were 11. I was 2.
There are two things that prevented my father from dying of pain and sadness. One was me. The other was Awosting. The land became his family personified. It was a place that his sons and wife had infused with their love. I can still lay my head down on the dirt and hear my mother’s heart anywhere on the property. But more than family, Awosting is nature. And in nature, there is rebirth.
He continued to assemble substantial tracts of wilderness lands on the Shawangunk Ridge and accumulated over 3,000 acres. He purchased small and large parcels to create a contiguous corridor of protected land connecting to Minnewaska State Park.
His ultimate plan was to create what he and my mother had dreamed of at Awosting: a green sustainable community of like-minded people focusing on sharing the beauty and raw nature of Awosting, along with wilderness preservation and education.
He began by advertising in The New York Times and elsewhere, as well as invited friends, families, students, teachers and specialists of all kinds to stay, rent and experience the land. They stayed in houses, cabins, tents and platforms, spending their days hiking and learning outdoor skills or relaxing, while kids could participate in the Junior Ranger Program. Many became longtime members of Awosting and rented houses for years. Others rented houses and camped on platforms with their kids who became Junior Rangers.
He worked with and supported the Mohonk Trust and Preserve, the Nature Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and in 1994 co-founded the Shawangunk Biodiversity Partnership project.
So how does someone who has not only helped preserve and protect the Shawangunk Ridge for over 70 years, but who has also created outdoor educational programs for children and adults alike and partnered with conservation groups, while sharing his knowledge and land, get such a bad rap? One major bad decision.
Fast-forward to 2003. Many of you watched it happen: “Save the Ridge” signs everywhere. What was initially proposed for the property was in no way the community my father had envisioned for Awosting. He misjudged the character of those he partnered with and paid for that mistake. But our family doesn’t deserve continued punishment.
Now the dawn of a new era: My father has joined my mother and brothers. I am the new steward.
I would like to provide the following information to answer some questions about the property and my family’s plans.
First: For decades, people asked how they could get more information on joining the Trail Club, or how they could experience all Awosting has to offer. My father sent them a PO Box, but I have made a website to share what Awosting is and always has been.
Second: I have spent the better part of my life helping my father maintain the property, and am continuing this labor of love with my children now – focusing attention on our regularly used camp structures and cabins that have been on the decline for years. Our new camping domes are a big improvement from our older tents.
Third: The outhouses originally had holes in the ground, but are now much improved by being self-contained. There is absolutely no leaching waste.
As for what’s to come: new ways to share the property and new ideas for community involvement. Awosting has helped, healed, inspired, challenged, listened and taught so many for over half a century, and it will continue to do so.
Meet me. Meet my family. We have been here for over 70 years. I have been raised on this Ridge and worked for Minnewaska State Park, Mohonk and always for Awosting. I am committed to our Awosting mission: “To encourage others to experience nature’s lessons while emphasizing the responsibility we have as human beings, to tread lightly, act respectfully and teach future generations the importance of preserving our natural resources.”
As a mother, I am raising boys that will continue the respectful stewardship of Awosting, its important ecological role as part of the Shawangunk Ridge and its commitment to being a positive influence within the surrounding community.
I am working with the Town to allay any concerns. Thank you.
Join the family! 
