News from HHLT: December 2020
The Hudson Highlands Are More Popular Than Ever: Here's How You Can Help
If you missed our webinars on the increasing popularity of the Hudson Highlands and how HHLT is responding, the recordings of both webinars are now available: November 24th webinar and December 2nd webinar.

If these webinars have inspired you to join our efforts, here are some ways you can get involved now:


Feel free to reach out to Ashley Rauch with any input or suggestions for future webinars.
Relearning Highlands History: Antislavery in the Mid-Hudson Valley
In this month's installment of Relearning Highlands History, we pick up where People Not Property left off and turn to the antislavery movement in the Hudson Valley. Earlier this fall, our Natural Resources Manager, Nicole Wooten, interviewed Peter Bunten of the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project.

In this wide-ranging interview, Peter gives us a fresh look at how slavery fits into the history of the Hudson Valley, and talks about the rise and successes of the antislavery movement here. Peter also shares the moving stories of some of the people that were instrumental in the antislavery movement, and highlights the supposed role the Hudson Highlands played in the Underground Railroad.

The full interview with Peter can be viewed below or on our website.
Help Keep the Hudson Highlands Healthy This Holiday Season
We are so grateful for your support in 2020—a year that has been difficult in so many ways. But one bright spot has been our rekindled love for the great outdoors—right here in the Hudson Highlands, and all across America. People are now coming to the Highlands in record numbers, and demand for our parks and trails has never been greater.

But the threats to our undeveloped land are intense. And the land that's already conserved is so popular it’s being “loved to death." There has never been a better time to preserve more land in our region.

Your holiday gift will help us meet the growing demand for parkland. And, it will ensure better stewardship of the thousands of acres we’ve already protected. Together, we can keep our local parks and trails healthy—for all of us.

Thank you, and best wishes for a happy, and healthy, holiday season from all of us at HHLT!
HHLT Working to Accelerate Pace and Inclusivity of Conservation Across Appalachian Trail Landscape in NY
We are honored to be the recipients of a Wild East Action Fund grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to support the innovative technologies and financing tools we are developing for the New York Highlands Network to increase the pace and inclusivity of conservation throughout the Appalachian Trail (AT) landscape in New York.

HHLT formed the NY Highlands Network, a coalition of organizations, neighbors and landowners, to create "green corridors," or connections between protected lands, across the New York Highlands—a wild, scenic, and highly accessible region that features 95% of the AT in our state (88 miles). The AT is the core conservation connection across the Highlands region, and our work through the Network supports a healthier regional ecosystem for the AT.

Dennis Shaffer, Director of Landscape Conservation at ATC, said: "We are very excited about [HHLT's] project and how it will advance conservation of the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. and its surrounding landscape, also known as the Wild East."
Thank You for Helping to Manage the Deer Population at Granite Mountain Preserve
Thank you to all the hunters who participated in our 2020 Hunting Program at Granite Mountain Preserve last month! Our trial of this program was a success, thanks in large part to the hunters and greater community that helped shape it.

Overbrowse by deer has damaged the forest understory at the Preserve for many years, and hunting is one of our best management tools to ensure a healthier forest ecosystem. Ever since a recent disease (epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD) lowered the local deer populations, we've stayed in close communication with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and our local hunting community to adjust our program accordingly. Thanks again to everyone who made this program run smoothly, and please contact Nicole Wooten with any questions.

HHLT protects the Hudson Highlands for all of us. You make it all possible.
Thank you for your support!

The Hudson Highlands Land Trust protects and preserves the natural resources,
rural character and scenic beauty of the Hudson Highlands.

Hudson Highlands Land Trust
20 Nazareth Way, P.O. Box 226, Garrison, NY 10524
(845) 424-3358