December 24, 2008, Kingston Daily Freeman: 186 acres protected on Overlook Mountain

186 acres protected on Overlook Mountain

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 3:06 AM EST
link to full article is here:
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2008/12/24/news/doc4951c1bc528be192386210.prt

WOODSTOCK — The Open Space Institute has announced the protection of 186 acres of the California Quarry property on Overlook Mountain.

The property is expected to provide expanded recreational opportunities and views of the Catskills, the Hudson River Valley and parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The acquisition of the property from the town of Woodstock is the institute’s fifth on Overlook Mountain in the last five years, with a total of 569 acres preserved to date.

The California Quarry property sits on the southeastern slope of Overlook Mountain, in an area the state has targeted for conservation because its alpine ecosystem is considered susceptible to inappropriate residential development. There is an active quarry on the parcel to which the town of Woodstock will retain access for local use.

The parcel adjoins previously protected state land on three sides and will be conveyed to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for management as part of the Catskill Forest Preserve.

Once the property is conveyed to the state, the Open Space Institute will have doubled the state-protected land on Overlook Mountain.

In a press release issued by the Open Space Institute, Woodstock Supervisor Jeff Moran praised the acquisition for protecting “panoramic vistas of the southern Catskills to the west, the Berkshires and the Hudson River to the east, and the Ashokan Reservoir to the south and the Shawangunks beyond.”

Comments are closed.