Land Trust Opens Nature Preserve for Public Use
sign by Rafael Domenech Photo by Rita Murtagh
In October, 2024, lifelong Schoharie County resident Richard A. Norton donated 270 acres of his real estate holdings in the Towns of Cobleskill and Seward to the Schoharie Land Trust for the purpose of creating a nature preserve available for non-motorized recreation. In addition, the descendants of Cobleskill resident Paul Berard have pledged the donation of an additional 10 acres to the preserve at its north access. Named "Settles Mountain Nature Preserve", the property officially opened to the public on October 19, 2024.
The Preserve is located at the summit of Settles Mountain, just west of the Village of Cobleskill, and extends down the south face of the mountain. It commands views of the Cobleskill Creek valley.
The land is comprised of a beautiful mature and healthy upland forest (with stately hemlock, red oak, white oak and white pine specimens), several large fields that Mr. Norton regularly mowed over the years, and a portion of a very large beaver complex (technically, an “Emergent Open Water Wetland”). Most of the Preserve is free of today’s most pernicious invasive species, an important factor for the Land Trust in evaluating potential donations of real estate and conservation easements. Photo by Rita Murtagh
The motto of the Settles Mountain Nature Preserve is “Conservation—Education—Recreation
”. This reflects the desire of both Mr. Norton and the Land Trust that (a) the significant conservation values of the land be preserved in perpetuity; (b) institutions of learning—in particular area secondary schools and neighboring SUNY Cobleskill—may use the preserve to enhance understanding about our natural world as well as the forces that threaten it; and (c) fellow residents of Schoharie County may find the Preserve to be a place to enjoy all the benefits that the natural world has to offer our health and well-being.
Ribbon Cutting at SMNP
WELCOME TO THE SCHOHARIE LAND TRUST
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
"It is the mission of the Schoharie Land Trust to protect the beauty, land, heritage and rural character of Schoharie County and adjacent areas by acquiring real property, holding conservation easements, and providing technical assistance and planning information to landowners, public agencies, and others interested in safeguarding our natural assets."
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