“The Trail Conference has been dedicated to the protection of the
spectacular biodiversity and hiking experience along the Shawangunk
Ridge since it came under threat in the 1980s,” said New York-New Jersey
Trail Conference Executive Director Joshua Howard. “OSI is a tremendous
partner with the shared vision of not only preserving land for the
creation of green corridors but also providing uninterrupted access to
nature via safe, sustainably built, long-distance trail networks. This
acquisition is vital to the protection of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail and
the Long Path, allowing the Trail Conference to maintain these trails
for the enjoyment of all who seek the rugged beauty of the Shawangunk
Ridge, both now and in the future.”
“Hooray! The Basha Kill Area Association (BKAA) is ecstatic hearing
of OSI’s acquisition of the Shawanga Lodge acreage. Beginning with our
founding in 1972, the BKAA successfully staved off several off-the-wall
proposals for this property. Throughout, our greatest hope was that
this ridgetop gem would become publicly accessible. Now this has
happened thanks to OSI’s ongoing preservation efforts, which we joyfully
salute,” said Paula Medley, president, Basha Kill Area Association.
“We thank the Open Space Institute for acquiring this property and
are excited that it will now be protected and added to the Shawangunk
Ridge recreational space in Mamakating. The opening of this tract of
land will enable full public access and will increase the recreational
opportunities for our residents and visitors to the region, which will
greatly enhance the Town’s Ecotourism Industry. Acquisition of this
property is in line with the 2019 Comprehensive Master Plan. This land
purchase will also help protect the Town’s aquifer water supply and the
environment. We applaud the determination and foresight of the Open
Space Institute in this substantial investment in the Town of
Mamakating,” said Janet Lybolt, supervisor of the Town of Mamakating.
Listed as a priority acquisition in the New York State Open Space
Plan, the Shawanga Lodge property is located just east of the Village of
Wurtsboro and is near five popular recreational trail systems: the
Shawangunk Ridge Trail, the Long Path, and the Sullivan O&W Rail
Trail, The Mamakating Rail Trail, and the Delaware and Hudson Canal
Trail.
In particular, OSI’s protection of the Shawanga Lodge provides
enhanced access to and protection of the 73-mile long Shawangunk Ridge
Trail, a regional hiking trail that the Open Space Institute, along with
the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and other partners, have
developed along the spine of the Shawangunk Ridge from Minnewaska State
Park Preserve south to New Jersey. OSI’s protection of the Shawanga
Lodge property presents an opportunity to re-route a portion of the
proposed Shawangunk Ridge Trail to an off-road location, creating a
“wilderness” walk and safer conditions for walkers, hikers, and runners.
The Shawangunk Ridge Trail is in public use and is now nearly
complete, with over 67 miles of the 73-mile-long trail permanently
protected.
OSI’s protection of the Shawanga Lodge property also contributes to a
50-mile long recreational and ecological “greenway” that runs along the
spine of the Shawangunk Ridge. Almost completely forested, the
Shawangunk Ridge Greenway contains numerous conservation
ownerships—including Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mohonk Preserve,
the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, six state forests and other
conservation holdings—and protects over 50,000 acres of ecologically
important lands.
The Greenway, which runs continuously from Rosendale, New York to the
New Jersey border, is uniquely positioned to support a diverse array of
plants and animals even as the climate changes, making it especially
critical for wildlife habitat. OSI’s acquisition safeguards the carbon
stored in the trunk, branch, and root structures of the property’s
trees, and also includes a 6-acre ridgetop lake that was known during
the Shawanga Lodge resorts days as “Skytop Lake.”
