In a major victory for Ulster County open space, and the new Community Preservation Fund (CPF) concept, a 174-acre wilderness property along Route 299 in the Towns of New Paltz and Gardiner has been permanently protected from development.

On August 14, 2026, Mohonk Preserve acquired the Humpo Marshlands and Forest from the Open Space Institute (OSI), culminating a multi-year collaborative conservation effort involving the Town of New Paltz, the Town of Gardiner, and the Wallkill Valley Land Trust (WVLT). The land was initially acquired by OSI in January 2026 from the Jenkins-Nichols family, honoring five generations and nearly two centuries of family stewardship.

The project represents the first major land protection success utilizing the Town of New Paltz CPF. Approved by local voters in November 2020 through a real estate transfer tax on property sales above the Ulster County median price, the CPF gives the town dedicated resources to safeguard natural, agricultural, and historic assets. This is a concept that representatives from Scenic Hudson recently pitched to the Wawarsing town board.

Using CPF dollars, the Town of New Paltz secured a permanent conservation easement over 87 acres of the property, which will be held and monitored in perpetuity by the Wallkill Valley Land Trust. The overall project was further supported by private donors, a leadership grant from a private family foundation, and a $30,000 grant from The Nature Conservancy’s New York Climate Resilience Program.

Situated along the Shawangunk Scenic Byway, the protected property encompasses 40 acres of Humpo Marsh, native wildflower meadows, upland forests, and spring vernal pools.

The land provides essential ecological benefits to the surrounding community. Its expansive wetlands filter groundwater to recharge local aquifers for well-dependent residents and serve as a natural retention basin during heavy storms, absorbing storm runoff to reduce downstream flooding along the Kleine Kill, Wallkill River, and Hudson River watersheds.

A widely recognized birding hotspot, the sanctuary provides critical breeding and resting grounds for threatened species—including the pied-billed grebe and red-headed woodpecker—as well as wetland birds thriving in beaver-modified habitats like the American Bittern, Least Bittern, Sora, and Common Gallinule.

In addition to its ecological value, the acquisition permanently protects unobstructed scenic views of the Shawangunk Ridge and expands a contiguous corridor of protected land near Minnewaska State Park Preserve and the River-to-Ridge Trail.

Under Mohonk Preserve’s ownership, the site will be managed for long-term ecological resilience and climate protection, with partners actively exploring possibilities for sustainable public access in the future.