Scenic Hudson acquires 80 acres in Columbia County

GREENPORT, N.Y. >> Scenic Hudson has acquired 80 acres of land just outside the city of Hudson as part of the organization’s conservation efforts, according to the environmental group.

The property in the town of Greenport features meadows, forested ravines, wetlands and numerous streams, and it affords future opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and birdwatching close to Hudson’s downtown, a press release from the group said.

Additionally, the conserved land permanently protects views from the Olana State Historic Site to the south and the historic Dr. Oliver Bronson House and estate located on the grounds of the Hudson Correctional Facility, Scenic Hudson said.

The group said the property also sustains diverse wildlife.

Scenic Hudson said the conserved land represents progress toward the group’s goal of creating a trail from Hudson to Olana and across the new Hudson River Skywalk on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, into the village of Catskill. The trail would connect to Scenic Hudson’s 612-acre RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill.

To date, Scenic Hudson has protected more than 500 acres along the proposed route of the trail, it said.

“Protecting this property not only preserves outstanding views from Olana — one of the Hudson Valley’s prime tourism destinations — but supports our longstanding efforts to complete a Hudson-to-Catskill trail, creating an exciting new destination,” Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan said in a prepared statement. “In addition, it’s a critical first step in providing Hudson residents with direct access to nature, and it safeguards more habitats in the ecologically important South Bay watershed.”

Much of the newly conserved acreage is within the watershed of the South Bay Creek and Marsh, which the state Department of State has designated a “Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat.” In addition to supporting the ecological health of those water bodies and the Hudson River, Scenic Hudson’s acquisitions in the South Bay Creek watershed will help accommodate the inland migration of species whose habitats face inundation from climate-related sea-level rise, the group said.

The property transaction was completed with money from Scenic Hudson’s Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Hudson Valley Land Preservation Endowment. The purchase price was not provided.

Three months ago, an affiliate of Scenic Hudson bought 508 acres along the Hudson River in the city of Kingston and town of Ulster from housing developer AVR Acquisition Corp. of Yonkers. AVR once planned to build more than 1,600 homes on the land.

Plans are now underway to turn the property into a state park using money from the $3 billion “Restore Mother Nature” bond act proposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That bond must first be approved by state voters.

The land has an assessed value of $5.1 million, but the amount Scenic Hudson affiliate Quarry Waters paid to AVR has been kept under wraps, and there’s been no estimate of what the state would pay Scenic Hudson for the property.