Shaupeneak Ridge -- Esopus, Ulster County

In May 2010, Scenic Hudson protected 119 acres to expand our popular Shaupeneak Ridge Preserve

The newly protected property will help prevent new development at Esopus Meadows.Robert Rodriguez, Jr.

This transaction increases to nearly 700 acres Scenic Hudson's Shaupeneak Ridge Preserve, a prime destination for hiking, bird-watching, mountain-biking, fishing, hunting and school field trips. It safeguards views from Louisa Pond and its surrounding trail, a visitor favorite, and offers the potential for creating new trails affording spectacular vistas of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.

Lying within the state-designated Shaupeneak Ridge Biologically Important Area, the forested property further safeguards interconnected habitat networks on which many species depend. Like all woodlands, it also sequesters carbon and other harmful pollutants, and collects and purifies water that filters into the ground to recharge the local aquifer, a community's prime source of drinking water.

The purchase is part of Scenic Hudson's collaborative campaign to Save the Land That Matters Most, protecting 65,000 acres of great scenic, ecological and agricultural significance.

Project highlights

• Protects unspoiled forest adjacent to a popular public preserve and trails
• Allows for eventual expansion of trails
• Contains important wildlife habitats

Location

To view the new Shaupeneak parcel in relation to other nearby protected lands, download this map (pdf, 216k)