Orange County Land Trust Kicks Off Delaware River Watershed Preservation Campaign

Flanked by municipal and county officials, Orange County Land Trust Executive Director Jim Delaune (C) talks about a major land preservation campaign in Sparrow Bush, N.Y., on April 18, 2024. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The Orange County Land Trust introduced a massive multiyear campaign on April 18 to preserve as much land as possible within the county’s 35,000-acre Delaware River watershed.

The lion’s share of the targeted area lies in the town of Deerpark, with land acquisitions and conversation easements as primary tools, according to the nonprofit organization.

Flanked by supportive officials and partners, Orange County Land Trust Executive Director Jim Delaune said at the event that the ambitious undertaking would yield multiple fruits.

“It is about water protection, it is about recreation, and it is about economic development,” he told The Epoch Times.

“It is about bringing folks to this area to recreate, go down to the restaurants, the cafes, and the bars in Port Jervis, and stay overnight.”

Port Jervis Mayor Dominic Cicalese, who prioritized economic development when he started his first term months ago, pledged his full support at the event.

So did Town of Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears, who said at the podium that he looked forward to expanding the collaboration with the land trust beyond the Boehmler Pond project.

The town is currently under contract to sell 500-plus acres of land in the pond area to the land trust, which will then transfer the land ownership to Port Jervis as part of the city’s growing public reservoir system and watershed recreation area.

The campaign also fits with County Executive Steve Neuhaus’s vision to preserve open space and improve the quality of life for residents, according to County Attorney Rick Golden.

“[The] county executive has thrown his full weight behind it,” Mr. Golden said at the kick-off event before citing other major open space initiatives, including the proposed 10-mile Schunnemunk Trail and turning the vacated Camp LaGuardia into a new county park.

County Legislature Majority Leader Tom Faggione, who represents the town of Deerpark, said at the event that the legislative body was behind the county’s open space plan.

A "Stay Wild" sign for the Delaware River watershed preservation campaign by Orange County Land Trust in downtown Port Jervis, N.Y., on April 18, 2024. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

In a previous interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Delaune referred to the 35,000-acre watershed as the county’s last remaining wilderness and the largest continuous mass of pristine land held in private hands, with multiple river habitats and large tracts of forest.

“We need your help to pull this off because this is an extremely expensive undertaking,” Mr. Delaune said at the event, adding that the total price tag was likely tens of millions of dollars.

First Federal Savings of Middletown chipped in $7,500 as the first donation received by the land trust for the endeavor to kick off the campaign, according to Mr. Delaune.

At least 10 conservation partners, including the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis, Open State Institute, and Friends of the Upper Delaware River, have pledged support for the effort.

The event’s attendees included Congressman Pat Ryan’s representative, Maria Ingrassia; state Assemblyman Karl Brabenec’s representative, Suzanne Edzenga; County Parks Commissioner Travis Ewald; County Real Property Director Paul Wiley; Deerpark Town Councilwoman Christa Hoovler; Port Jervis Community Development Agency Director Valerie Maginsky; and former Orange County Supreme Court Judge Robert Onofry.

In January, the land trust purchased the 300-plus-acre Sugar Loaf Mountain property—the single largest land transaction in its 30-year history—with the goal of turning it into a county park.