| | | 62,000 Acres to Be Saved in South Carolina, Thanks to OSI and Partners!
The Open Space Institute (OSI) is helping to lead the way on South Carolina’s largest conservation easement project ever. Working with state, local, and private partners, OSI helped secure $50 million in Forest Legacy Program funding to save an incredible 62,000 acres. Colossal in scale, the project will permanently protect ecologically important land along three coastal rivers in the Pee Dee Basin — the Santee, Black, and Pee Dee — while bolstering sustainable forest management practices that are vital to the nation’s economy. The project will also create new public access to more than 7,500 acres of land, including an 880-acre addition to the Wee Tee State Forest and new Wildlife Management Areas.
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| | | Growing a Corridor for Wildlife & Climate
OSI continues to build momentum toward the creation of a “green corridor” linking New York’s Catskill Park and Shawangunk Ridge with its acquisition of more than 600 acres in the Town of Wawarsing. The heavily forested land captures and stores significant amounts of carbon, and supports vital habitat for plants and animals in a changing climate. |
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| | | | New OSI Report Shows Importance of State Parks
New York’s state parks are integral to communities throughout the state, according to OSI’s new “Centennial Pulse of the Parks” report. The publication analyzes results from a major survey conducted in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the New York State Park system. In the report, OSI examines who’s visiting state parks, what they love about their parks, and what they’d like to see in the future. |
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| | | | A New Trail at Schunnemunk
New York’s Schunnemunk State Park will soon have a new trail, thanks to OSI. The nearly two-mile-long Schunnemunk Meadows Trail will traverse spectacular wildflower meadows and showcase extraordinary views of the historic Moodna Viaduct, while expanding access to an underutilized section of the park. OSI and partners recently broke ground on the trail, which is expected to be completed in 2025. |
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| | | | OSI's President Appointed to Hudson River Park Trust Board
Erik Kulleseid, OSI’s President and CEO, has been appointed to the board of the Hudson River Park Trust. Kulleseid, former New York State Parks Commissioner, will help guide the development and stewardship of Hudson River Park, a 550-acre public park and estuarine sanctuary on the Manhattan shoreline that offers New Yorkers a much-needed place for recreation, gatherings, and environmental education. |
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| | | | OSI's Lake Placid Trailhead Project Advances
Thanks to generous supporters, OSI has raised more than $1 million toward the creation of the Lake Placid Trailhead, a key entry point for the new Adirondack Rail Trail. OSI is seeking an additional $249,000 in private funding to complete the buildout, which will include a pavilion and year-round restrooms. The trailhead will offer explorers new recreational access and better disperse visitors throughout the High Peaks Region. |
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