Mohonk Preserve

The Trapps in the Mohonk Preserve

The Mohonk Preserve is located in the Shawangunk Ridge, a section of the Appalachian Mountains, 90 miles (140 km) north of New York City in Ulster County, New York, USA. The Preserve is 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the Village of New Paltz. The Preserve protects over 7,000 acres (28,000 km) of cliffs, forests, streams and ponds, and manages 30 mi (48 km) of carriage roads and 40 mi (64 km) of trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and horseback riding. Hunting is allowed at the Mohonk Preserve as part of a research-based deer management program that aims to reduce ecological damage (including the loss of bird habitat) caused by deer overbrowsing. The Preserve includes world-famous rock climbing cliffs and is the single busiest climbing destination in North America.

History

The Mohonk Preserve was founded in 1963 as the Mohonk Trust by guests of the Mohonk Mountain House and the Smiley family, who are the founders and present owners of the Mohonk Mountain House. This resort and its Victorian hotel was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. A reciprocal agreement allows Preserve members and day visitors to visit the resort grounds.

There is no research to support the commercial branding that "Mohonk" in the native Lenape language means, "lake in the sky", or that the name historically applied to the lake. According to Marc B. Fried's Shawangunk Place Names, an early variant of the name, "Moggonck," applied on boundary records to the "high hill," the crag now named Skytop where the Smiley Tower is located. "The spelling in 1677 was "Moggonck" in both Dutch deed and English patent....although the spelling change from gg to h was probably done for the sake of euphony, with commercial considerations in mind, it has the effect of helping preserve the guttural sound of the letter g in Dutch, the original language in which the name was transliterated from the Indian tongue." Citing Lenape scholar Dr. David Oestreicher, Fried writes about its meaning: "Animal place names among the Lenape were common. Moggonck appears to be derived from maxkwung, 'place of bears,' or perhaps shortened from Munsee maxkawenge, 'hill of bears.'"

With respect to the change in spelling and the name of the lake, Fried writes: "A change in spelling from "Moggonck" to "Mohonk" is first seen in a New Paltz Times article of July 6, 1860, where it is reported that "A Mountain-House is being built at the north end of Lake Mohonk, at Paltz Point." This is also the first instance found of the name - any name - being applied to the lake."

Description

Mohonk Mountain House, a resort hotel located on the Shawangunk Ridge

Bonticou Crag in the Mohonk Preserve

Mohonk Preserve is the largest member and visitor-supported nature preserve in New York State and was the first land trust established to protect the northern Shawangunk Ridge. The Preserve's mission is to protect the Shawangunk Mountains by inspiring people to care for, enjoy, and explore the natural world. To accomplish its mission, the Preserve conducts programs in four key areas - environmental education, serving over 11,000 children and adults each year; land protection, saving high-priority land on the ridge; land stewardship, balancing the protection of land and wildlife with opportunities for recreation; and scientific research, creating a "living laboratory" on the land. Each year the Preserve welcomes 150,000 visitors who come to rock climb, mountain bike, hike, ski, and study and enjoy nature. The land is home to more than 1,400 plant and animal species, including the endangered peregrine falcon and 2,000 acres of rare dwarf pitch pine. Interconnected, protected areas provide shelter, food, and mating opportunities to black bears, bobcats, warblers, timber rattlesnakes, and many other animals.

The Mohonk Preserve has been involved in several land disputes with their neighbors^[1] The land acquisition tactics of the Mohonk Preserve, which include the use of adverse possession, have led to the formation of the Mohonk Neighbors Association. ^[2] A Kingston Daily Freeman article dated July 3rd 2011, reporting on Mohonk Preserve lawsuits against two neighbors can be found here.

For perspective, the Mohonk Preserve has over 250 immediate property adjoiners and over 50 linear miles of boundary, which is regularly monitored. The Preserve's response to the Daily Freeman article of July 3 cited above, submitted on July 5 and published on July 20, can be found here.

Minnewaska State Park Preserve adjoins the Preserve lands to the south, and protects another 12,000 acres (49 km²) of former property of another member of the Smiley family as a state park and Sam's Point Preserve adds another 4,600 acres (19 km²) parcel owned by The Nature Conservancy. Located within the Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Mohonk Preserve is the Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.^[3]

References

1. ^ Ulster County Supreme Court Civil Actions: 03-1717, 04-525, 05-1722, 09-2747. Also map #9595, which show several examples.
2. ^ http://gunks.com/ubbthreads7/ubbthreads.php/topics/16281/An_Open_Letter_to_The_Mohonk_P?PHPSESSID=51305c8ce9cf9a7836e5e529bc245eea
3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 

External links

• Mohonk Preserve: http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/
• Mohonk Mountain House: http://www.mohonk.com/
• http://newpaltz.hvnet.com/hikeclimb/mohonk.htm
• NY-NJTC: Mohonk Preserve Trail Details and Info

Coordinates: 41°44′50″N 74°12′35″W / 41.74722°N 74.20972°W / 41.74722; -74.20972