New York State has recently acquired 900 acres in Ulster County that form the largest addition to the Catskill Forest Preserve since 2011 and will help ensure the protection of drinking water in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed.
The State’s acquisition of 900 acres in the town of Olive ensures an undisturbed viewshed of the Catskills from all points east, including the Ashokan Reservoir and Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge.
DEC worked with the Open Space Institute to secure the parcel after the organization took ownership in 2019.
The property provides opportunities for public recreation and expanded access to Forest Preserve lands, including notable landmarks like Wagon Wheel Notch, Low Point and Little High Point.
The $4.2 million purchase was the State’s first land acquisition funded by the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022.
This acquisition and others underway are part of New York State’s ‘30×30’ Initiative to protect 30 percent of New York’s lands and waters by 2030.
The property is expected to be managed by DEC in conjunction with the adjoining State-owned forest preserve lands that make up the Sundown Wild Forest.
Photo: The view from the newly-acquired property (Greg Miller, courtesy of Open Space Institute).
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