After nearly two years of planning, The Shawangunk Conservancy (TSC) and Mohonk Preserve have announced that over 71 acres in the northern Shawangunks have been preserved in perpetuity. This tract was purchased from The Shawangunk Conglomerate, a homeowners association of ecologically minded people who wished to have it protected from development.
The purchase was made possible by donations from TSC, Friends of the Shawangunks and Mohonk Preserve members, along with a substantial grant from the Clove Hitch Fund and funding from the Fields Pond Foundation. The land has been incorporated into Mohonk Preserve, which borders the parcel on three sides.
“We are honored to continue the stewardship legacy of this property,” said Mohonk Preserve President and CEO Kevin Case. “Special thanks to the Preserve members whose support was vital in helping us save this land for life.”
“I wish to thank our generous members, whose response to the appeal for this project has been so enthusiastic,” said TSC President John Hayes. “On behalf of our membership we are forever grateful to the Shawangunk Conglomerate homeowners who have been outstanding guardians of this land for decades.”
TSC is also participating in the protection of the 100-acre balance of the Shawangunk Conglomerate land through a conservation easement which will forever protect that acreage.
They are located about one mile north of the Preserve’s Bonticou Crag and are visible from Route 32 and Springtown Road between New Paltz and Tillson.