Land in place for newest state parks:Schunnemunk Ridge - 5 July, 2003

Wayne A. Hall
Times Herald-Record

CORNWALL- The you-can-see-for-ever top of the Schunnemunk Ridge is ready to become New York’s newest state park.

The last 298 acres of private land have been bought, bringing the total preserved by the Open Space Institute to 2,763 acres assembled over seven years at a cost of about $4 million. OSI will sell the land to the state soon for state parkland.

A seven-mile stretch of the Long Path hiking trail that stretches from the George Washington Bridge to Albany, follows the ridge, making it a popular destination for New York City hikers. The ridge’s wildlife is thrilling, and you can see the Catskills, the Shawangunk Ridge and the Hudson River from the top, says OSI spokeswoman Jennifer Grossman.

The latest acquisitions are buffer zones – farm fields at the base of the mountain, and conservation easements off Taylor and Otterkill roads.

Grossman said OSI hopes “to sell it [the land] to the state for what we paid for it.” But not all of the purchase costs have been added up yet.

The ridge is the key to preservation in the western Hudson Highlands.

It took OSI seven years to finish the Schunnemunk project, with help from the Storm King Art Center.

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