Shawangunk resort sells land to nonprofit
Seen from one of the trails at The Mohonk Mountain House is Skytop Tower, a peak emerging from the range of trees and cliffs. Credit: Newsday, 2007 / Jeff Schamberry
The owners of the famous Mohonk Mountain House are selling a large piece of their property on the scenic Shawangunk Ridge to a land conservation group.
The not-for-profit Open Space Institute announced yesterday that it will buy 874 acres on the eastern escarpment from Smiley Brothers Inc., owner-operator of the historic resort.
The property includes parts of the historic carriage road system that was constructed for Victorian guests of Mohonk Mountain House in the late 1800s to provide sweeping views of the Hudson Valley, as well as three scenic and historic farms, and hundreds of acres of open fields, rolling forested hills and streams.
The resort will retain 1,350 acres of land, and will continue to own and operate the historic Mountain House, which has been continuously operated by five generations of the Smiley family for 142 years.
"We are delighted to partner with OSI and the Mohonk Preserve to ensure the protection of this iconic landscape for future generations," said Albert Smiley, SBI president. "We are taking this step to guarantee the necessary stewardship of the land for public recreation, education, environmental research and to support the continuation of sustainable community farming operations."
Said Kim Elliman, OSI's president and chief executive, "It is hard to imagine a more enduring legacy than the permanent conservation protection of the Mohonk Mountain House lands on the Shawangunk Ridge, and the opportunity to protect the land is a testament to the Smileys' enlightened stewardship."
This purchase is the latest in a 25-year effort by the institute to protect the Shawangunk Ridge.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
