The Open Space Institute has purchased 1,200 acres abutting the Hammond Pond Wild Forest in the eastern Adirondacks, with an eye toward selling the land to the state for the Forest Preserve.
Located in the town of Moriah, the parcel has five ponds, 2.6 miles of waterfront, and numerous scenic views. Tub Mill Pond, the central body of water, contains rainbow trout and brown bullhead and is touted as a destination for anglers and paddlers.
“The Open Space Institute is delighted to have protected this forested Adirondack property, rich with spectacular waterfront vistas and opportunities for fishing, kayaking, boating, and hiking,” Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI, said in a news release.
Moriah Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava said local residents supported the land deal. “During my thirty-year career, more and more people have favored protecting land so residents and visitors can get outdoors and enjoy nature on a more frequent basis,” he said in the news release.
The Tub Mill Pond parcel is a twenty-minute drive from Northway Exit 29, where the state plans to develop an Adirondack “gateway.”
OSI paid $1.5 million for the 1,206-acre parcel. The organization will hold onto the property until the state Department of Environmental Conservation buys it. The land is expected to be added to the 40,000-acre Hammond Pond Wild Forest.
“DEC is proud to continue to partner with the Open Space Institute to conserve New York’s natural beauty for future generations,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.
OSI has committed more than $23.5 million in the Adirondacks area over twenty-five years, protecting more than thirty-one thousand acres of land.
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How about an article outlining why these parcels are first purchased by intermediary organizations, like OSI and the Nature Conservancy, and then sold to NY. Do the organizations coordinate the first purchase with the state? Is it merely a matter of expediency?