TOWN OF OLIVE – The State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday the acquisition of 261 acres adjacent to the Catskill Forest Preserve’s Sundown Wild Forest.
The permanent protection of the land will preserve open space, protect drinking water sources that contribute to the New York City watershed, and expand recreational opportunities to support the local economy.
The land preservation is a collaboration between the DEC and Open Space Institute.
The purchase of the property along the east side of South Mountain in the Town of Olive was made possible with the OSI and $665,500 from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.
OSI initially purchased the property in 2019 from Dr. Sam and Delia Adams, whose family owned the land since the Hardenbergh Patent of the 1700s.
DEC and OSI worked to accommodate the Adams’ desire to retain their farmhouse and adjacent agricultural fields.
The new acquisition adds to the 30,100-acre Sundown Wild Forest, which covers a swath of the southern Catskills, including several ridges and 10 mountains over 2,000 feet.
