As the pandemic evolves, people are flocking to the Hudson Highlands like never before, and demand for our parks and trails has never been greater. But the challenges to our undeveloped lands are mounting: many people are moving to the area permanently. Scores of new visitors are impacting the natural resources in our popular parks and trails. All this while New York State is facing serious budget constraints. Plus, we need to ensure our parks are inclusive and accessible to everyone.

We're hosting two webinars on Tuesday, November 24th, at 1pm and Wednesday, December 2nd, at 7pm for attendees to learn how we are meeting these challenges, and what you can do to help protect our open spaces.

The webinars are FREE, but advance registration via Zoom is required. You’ll receive a personalized link to access the webinar once you register. Please send any questions you’d like to see addressed during the webinars in advance to ashley.rauch@hhlt.org.

In this month's edition of Relearning Highlands History, we introduce the engaging interactive documentary People Not Property: Stories of Slavery in the Colonial North, presented by Historic Hudson Valley and winner of the 2020 Webby Award for best educational resource. The documentary tells stories of those enslaved in New York’s Hudson Valley, with a focus on the men and women enslaved by the Philipse family, from which the town Philipstown derives its name.

Read more about People Not Property in our latest Relearning Highlands History article or explore the entire interactive website at peoplenotproperty.hudsonvalley.org. You can also read more about the series, and all previous articles, on our website.

Many thanks to those of you who have volunteered to help us clear trail drainages in Granite Mountain Preserve over the coming weeks. We've had an overwhelming response to our call for volunteers, and we are so grateful to have so many dedicated volunteers and supporters.

For those of you who signed up (or for anyone interested in learning more about water bars), our Natural Resources Manager, Nicole Wooten, filmed two Nature Time videos that give a good overview of water bars and how to clear them. The introduction to water bars video is below, and the longer video on how to clear water bars along trails is available on our YouTube channel.

Please contact Nicole at nicole.wooten@hhlt.org with any questions. She is planning to host a virtual training for volunteers over Zoom next week. Thanks again for your support!

The Department of the Army intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential impacts of implementing the proposed Clinton District Area Development Plan (ADP) at West Point. The Clinton District ADP includes improvements to and construction of various facilities and infrastructure on the main campus of the U.S. Military Academy.

A 45-day public scoping period is underway to gather input on the scope and content of the EIS. A public virtual scoping meeting took place October 28th. The meeting slides can be viewed here, and additional public scoping documents that provide more information on the proposed plan can be found on the US Army Corps website.

The public comment period ends November 23rd. Written comments about the scope of the EIS and questions concerning the proposed action can be emailed to WestpointClinton-ADPEIS@usace.army.mil or mailed to:

Granite Mountain Preserve will be closed from Saturday, November 21st through Sunday, November 29th for the 2020 deer hunting program. During that time, only hunters with valid HHLT permits will be allowed to access the Preserve. The Preserve will be reopened to visitors on Monday, November 30th.

Please visit our website for more information on the deer hunting program. Thank you to the hunters for helping to manage the deer population in Putnam Valley and to the community for respecting this temporary closure.

Climate Smart Philipstown, the Ecological Citizens Project and the Philipstown Garden Club are hosting a FREE webinar on reducing the carbon footprint of your home to zero on Tuesday, November 10th, at 7pm. The program will be led by David Green, who will share his specific recommendations and a few key changes you can make to your homes now to drastically reduce your home's energy needs and reduce carbon emissions. All participants will receive a free copy of David's eBook, "Zero Carbon Home." Register via Eventbrite.