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Taken from the Trail Walker (March-April 2006) of the NY-NJ Trail Conference:

TC Land Buys Further Protect Shawangunk Ridge Trail
3.5 Miles of Rail Trail Secured in Mamakating

In the final days of December 2005, the Trail Conference concluded a long and complicated purchase of more than 140 acres in Mamakating, NY (Sullivan County), from LaFarge North America, Inc. The acquisition protects a key section of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail, which uses the abandoned rail bed on the property. Funds for the purchase were provided by capital campaign gifts to the TC Land Acquisition and Stewardship Fund.

The land abuts the Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest and contains 3.5 miles of a scenic rail trail that runs through the heart of the forest. This old abandoned rail bed starts near the junction of Route 209 and Ferguson Road north of Wurtsboro. It continues south nearly to the old train station off County Route 171 above Main Street in Wurtsboro. The property is also adjacent to the county's D&H Canal Park east of the Wurtsboro Airport.

Years ago, the northern end of the land was used as a sand and gravel quarry, and there are still remnants of some of the old cement footings and walls. The property has since reverted to a more natural environment.

This acquisition has long been a high priority for the Trail Conference and for the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The Conference continues to pursue contacts with the additional rail bed owners north and south of this property and hopes eventually to include these properties into the trail as well.

This newly protected land is open to the public for hiking, bird-watching, and picnicking. No motorized vehicles are allowed. If you have any questions about the property, please contact Richard Benning at (201) 512-9348, ext. 24.

Final Payment on 135 Acres in Greenville

Also in December, the Trail Conference, with the assistance of the Golden Family Foundation, paid off the mortgage on another key parcel on the Shawangunk Ridge-the 135-acre Lindblom property near the New Jersey border.

The Trail Conference had purchased this impressive parcel in 2003 with a seller-held mortgage that required a large lump sum payment in December 2005. The Golden Family Foundation gave the Trail Conference a low interest loan that made the consummation of this purchase possible.

This acquisition safeguards the off-road route of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail in this area and adds significant buffer land to the trail as well. The property is located south and east of I-84 and offers impressive views south to High Point State Park in New Jersey and west across the Neversink River valley. It has road frontage on both I-84 (no parking allowed) and Old Mountain Road.

The Trail Conference is working with the town of Greenville to add a small parking area and SRT access point on land adjacent to Old Mountain Road.

The Trail Conference now owns more than 900 contiguous acres of the ridge in the towns of Greenville and Deerpark in Orange County. These lands were protected as part of our continuing effort to secure a public use trail corridor from Sam's Point in the north to High Point, NJ.