Sterling Forest State Park
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sterling Forest State Park is a
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
located in the Ramapo Mountains in Orange County,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. Established in 1998, it is among the larger additions to the New York state park system in the last 50 years.


History

Sterling Forest was originally part of a vast tract of land called Cheesecock that a group of English colonists bought from the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
Indians in 1702. The land eventually came to belong to the Sterling Iron Works, which mined and shipped iron ore from a number of sites within the park. The last of the mines was closed in the 1920s. By the mid-1990s the Sterling Forest Corporation, a subsidiary of Trygg-Hansa, a Swedish insurance company, held title to 17,500 acres of the forest. The corporation was actively pursuing development of the property, proposing construction of 14,500 residential units and 7.4 million square feet of commercial and light industrial space. At risk was a largely undeveloped habitat of eastern hardwood forest, lakes, and streams in the nation's most densely populated metropolitan region. Public advocacy for conservation of Sterling Forest had existed since the 1950s, but without success. By the 1990s, this advocacy was centered on the Public/Private Partnership to Save Sterling Forest, a coalition of twenty-nine New York and New Jersey nonprofit organizations chaired by Robert O. Binnewies, Executive Director of the
Palisades Interstate Park Commission The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a N ...
. The Public/Private Partnership worked for almost a decade to secure funding commitments from the federal government, the State of New Jersey, the State of New York, and private sources to achieve acquisition of most Sterling Forest Corporation holdings. In 1998,
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
and the
Open Space Institute The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acq ...
negotiated a purchase on behalf of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission of 15,805 acres of corporate holdings for $55 million. Governors George Pataki (NY) and Christine Todd Whitman (NJ) jointly announced that Sterling Forest State Park was established. Among additional acquisitions subsequent to establishment, in November 1999,
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
and the
Open Space Institute The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acq ...
succeeded in purchasing 659 acres from
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
for inclusion in the park. In December 2000,
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
and the
Open Space Institute The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acq ...
negoitiated for the purchase of 1,065 acres from the Sterling Forest Corporation to expand Sterling Forest State Park. In 2005,
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
in conjunction with the State of New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation purchased a 90-acre farm in Warwick, NY to add to the state park. In 2006, the park was expanded yet again after a tract in the center of the forest known as Sterling Forge came on the market. Sterling Forest LLC developers planned to construct 107 luxury homes and an 18-hole golf course on the tract. Concerned members of the public rallied and were able to procure the tract for the state park. The final $13.5 million sale price was negotiated by
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
, funded through the State of New York Environmental Protection Fund. and private contributions. In February 2021, Governor
Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
announced the addition of another 112 acres to the state park, resulting from a partnership with the Orange County Land Trust. These and other acquisitions have resulted in Palisades Interstate Park Commission holdings of 22,180 acres at Sterling Forest. Residential and commercial development no longer threaten negative impact to the natural ecosystem. Public outdoor recreation is the predominant use. Funding for various acquisitions, beginning with the purchase in 1998 of 15,805 acres, have included the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the Trust for Public Land, the State of New York, the State of New Jersey, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the federal government, and contributions from private individuals.


Park description and facilities

The park's forest habitat is important for the survival of several species, including
timber rattlesnake The timber rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus''), also known Common name, commonly as the canebrake rattlesnake and the banded rattlesnake,Albert Hazen WWright AH, species:Anna Allen WWright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States a ...
s, black bear, fox, various raptors and
songbirds A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passerine, Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes co ...
, and many rare
invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum ...
and plants. The forest is embedded in a larger area of over of largely uninterrupted woodland that serves both as a
wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area habitat (ecology), that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land ...
and as a watershed for nearby urban areas. The park contains a number of lakes and reservoirs including Sterling Lake and Blue Lake. Hunting, fishing, ice fishing,
hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...
and
snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...
ing opportunities are available. The park lies in the New York - New Jersey Highlands, a stretch of natural habitat from the
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...
to the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
that links the Abram S. Hewitt State Forest in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
with Harriman State Park in New York. The park conserves a part of the
Northeastern coastal forests The Northeastern coastal forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the northeast and middle Atlantic region of the United States. The ecoregion covers an area of 34,630 sq miles (89,691 km2) encompassing the Piedmont ...
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
. It also protects the
Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
corridor, which crosses the northern portion of Sterling Forest. The park is administered by the
Palisades Interstate Park Commission The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a N ...
. The Appalachian Trail in Sterling Forest is maintained by the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference. The park includes the Frank R. Lautenberg Visitor Center, which offers exhibits about the local environment and overlooks Sterling Lake. The Sterling Mountain Fire Observation Tower and Observer's Cabin is located on Sterling Mountain. A New York State hunting license and a Sterling Forest State Park hunting permit are required to hunt in the park, which is only permitted during deer and turkey season. Some areas are closed to hunting.


See also

*
List of New York state parks This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks. In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, R ...


Notes


References

* Palisades, The People's Park, Fordham University Press, Robert O. Binnewies, 2021 * Saving Sterling Forest, The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's Highlands, State University of New York Press, Ann Botshon, 2007


External links


New York State Parks: Sterling Forest State Park

Sterling Forest State Park trail map

Sterling Forest Partnership

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Sterling Forest State Park details and trail information
{{Protected areas of New York Palisades Interstate Park system Ramapos Warwick, New York Protected areas of the Hudson Highlands Parks in Orange County, New York 1998 establishments in New York (state) Protected areas established in 1998