MOUNTAINVILLE – The Orange County Land Trust announced on Thursday that it has completed the acquisition of the 309-acres of Sugar Loaf Mountain property in the Town of Chester.
The organization’s primary goal was to bring about the first-ever access to the mountain’s summit while expanding outdoor recreation by connecting the property to the adjacent Goosepond Mountain State Park, said James Delaune, executive director of the land trust.
“And there is also an economic development component to it because it is possible to connect it to create a trail system to the summit of Sugar Loaf Mountain into the village of Sugar Loaf where there is obviously shopping and bars and restaurants and so on,” he said.
It wasn’t until the land trust met with the Palmer family to discuss their plans and goals for their property.
In June 2022, the two parties signed an agreement giving the land trust an exclusive option to buy the property.
Funding to purchase the property was a challenge until they obtained a “generous loan” from supporter, The Peter and Lucia Buck Foundation.
The land trust later received funding from Walden Savings Bank.
From that point, the “Save the Mountain” campaign was launched, receiving over $200,000 in community donations and gaining the attention of an Emmy-award winning filmmaker who would donate his service to create a mini-documentary about the project.
Support also came from the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Land Trust Alliance and Scenic Hudson.
Delaune said the ultimate goal is for Orange County to buy the land for development as a passive park.
