We'll have a number of volunteer needs over the coming months as we begin co-management of the 91-acre Conservation Area, and take ownership of the additional 28-acre parcel, so please keep your eyes peeled for announcements regarding volunteer opportunities. Please contact Nicole Wooten at nicole.wooten@hhlt.org if you are interested in learning more about the expansion of the Preserve.

This spring, we announced that local philanthropist Christopher Davis will be generously donating 74+ acres of the 300-acre Garrison Golf Club to HHLT once the golf course is decommissioned later this year. We plan to permanently protect this land and intend to oversee habitat restoration, while simultaneously working with the community to develop a thoughtful plan for public access.

To that end, we will be offering small-group walking tours of the 74+ acres. This will allow people to walk the land and bring ideas to the table as we start our community engagement and planning process. Please join us for a tour on Wednesday, July 28th at 6-7:30pm or Wednesday, August 25th at 6-7:30pm. We will add more dates/times if interest warrants.

Tours are limited to 12 people, so advance registration is required. More information and online registration is available via Eventbrite. Please note these walking tours will only cover the 74+ acres that will be owned and managed by HHLT, not the remainder of the property.

For last month's issue of Relearning Highlands History, we were inspired to revisit the ending of slavery in New York in recognition of Juneteenth. Slavery was officially abolished in 1827, making New York the first state to pass a law completely abolishing slavery, but the ending is far more complicated than just a single date. You can read the full story of the end of slavery in New York, and look back at some of our previous coverage of slavery and anti-slavery in our region, on our website.

HHLT and West Point have teamed up to enhance protections of our Granite Mountain Preserve in Putnam Valley. CDT Levi Burns and CDT Nick Mackey, supervised by CPT Jordan Laughlin (all pictured here), completed a full field review and GIS mapping project to explore how we can better protect the trail system and the lands in the Preserve by closing off unofficial trails created by unauthorized motor vehicle use. Many thanks to the West Point Geospatial Information Sciences department for leading this project!

The hike at Breakneck Ridge is known as one of the most popular and difficult hikes in the Northeastern United States. The Trail Stewards of the 2021 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC) Conservation Corps are up to the challenge of handling this highly trafficked hiking location. They are stationed at the Breakneck Ridge trailhead every weekend and holiday until the end of October. NYNJTC works in partnership with HHLT to make sure this trailhead is staffed year after year with knowledgeable service members.

Read more in this update about the Trail Stewards program written by NYNJTC’s Trail Outreach and Education Steward, Melanie Schuck. The blog post also covers the newly opened Nimham Trail, the first construction project of the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail.

A new Comprehensive Plan for Philipstown, which is based on input gathered from residents over the past three years, is under review with the Town Board. As a final step before officially adopting the plan, the Town Board will host a public hearing on Thursday, August 5th at 7:30pm at Philipstown Town Hall, located at 238 Main Street in Cold Spring (please note this is an in person meeting with no option to join remotely via Zoom). The public hearing will provide interested residents with one final opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the new plan.

The current draft Comprehensive Plan is available here, and more information on the public hearing can be found on the Town's website.