The Open Space Institute (OSI) and Rockland County are celebrating the conservation of the “Eagle Valley Assemblage,” nearly 240 acres that is hoped will safeguard an important clean water source, strengthen a corridor of undeveloped land between Sterling Forest and Harriman State Parks, and enhance regional recreational opportunities.
OSI and Rockland County’s collaboration sets the stage for the 236-acre assemblage to become a new county park in an otherwise rapidly developing area.
Thanks to the close proximity of the properties and other protected lands to the Sloatsburg train station, visitors from New York City and elsewhere will be able to hop off the train and directly into nature for mountain biking, hiking, and more.
Conservation of the Eagle Valley Assemblage offers benefits for people and wildlife. Located within the Nakoma Brook drainage basin, the assemblage protects important water resources in the Ramapo Valley Aquifer.
This aquifer is a primary source of drinking water for Rockland County, supplying clean water to more than one-third of the area’s residents and businesses.
By keeping the properties undeveloped, they will retain their natural ability to filter water and bolster a “green corridor” of protected land essential for the movement of wildlife.
The Eagle Valley Assemblage comprises three properties located in the Village of Sloatsburg in the town of Ramapo: two properties protected by OSI in 2024 and transferred to Rockland County in 2025, and a third parcel acquired by Rockland County with OSI’s support.
The County is exploring opportunities to enhance public access to the properties, including the creation of new and expanded trail connections. The project is Rockland County’s largest Open Space Acquisition Program purchase to date.
The Eagle Valley Assemblage properties were identified as priority acquisitions in the Rockland County Comprehensive Plan, the Sloatsburg Comprehensive Plan, and the New York State Open Space Plan.
The acquisitions were made possible thanks to grants totaling $2.74 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Highlands Conservation Act – a program funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The LWCF-Highlands Program grants, secured with critical assistance from New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (State Parks), will be returned to the County’s Open Space Acquisition Fund, so more land can be preserved for future generations.
Eagle Valley photo by Greg Miller, provided by OSI.
Source link
