The Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) has announced the protection of 73 acres of forest near Greenwood Lake, NY in the Town of Warwick, a property that also boasts a unique history where an icon of the Harlem Renaissance and a Hudson River School artist drew inspiration. The project is part of an ongoing effort to protect habitat buffering the Doris Duke Wildlife Sanctuary section of Sterling Forest State Park.
The 73-acre property is situated within the Greenwood Lake watershed and is comprised of habitats identified as “significant” by the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Natural Heritage Program, including “hemlock-northern hardwood” and “Appalachian oak-hickory” forests.
The protection of this property also achieves the goals of public conservation planning documents. The Town of Warwick’s Community Preservation Project Plan identified this property as a priority for the protection of the water quality of Greenwood Lake. The Orange County Open Space Plan identified the property and surrounding area as a biological hotspot, with high value for biological diversity.
The Land Trust hopes to schedule a guided hike to the scenic overlook this spring. That information will be posted on the organization’s website, www.oclt.org, and Facebook page.
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