Open Space Institute and Town of Warwick celebrate new public park on the NY-NJ border

The Open Space Institute and Town of Warwick have announced the protection of nearly 320 acres along the New York-New Jersey border, delivering benefits for outdoor recreation, wildlife, and clean water in the heart of a federally designated conservation focus area.

Purchased by OSI for $3.4 million on Aug. 7 from Warwick Conference Center, Inc., the 316-acre property will ultimately be conveyed to the Town of Warwick, which plans to create a new public park there. Existing trails will open to the public, with additional infrastructure planned to make the park welcoming for residents and visitors. During OSI’s ownership, the property will remain closed to the public until a parking area is established.

The site lies nearly adjacent to Wawayanda State Park in New Jersey and less than a mile from the Appalachian Trail, creating opportunities to link the property’s trails to Wawayanda and beyond.

“Orange County is a special place to everyone who is lucky enough to experience it,” said Matt Decker, OSI Land Project Manager. “OSI is grateful to the Town of Warwick and the Warwick Conference Center for this effort to bring people closer to nature and demonstrate what can be achieved when we work together.”

“The Board of the Warwick Conference Center was pleased to partner with the Town of Warwick and OSI to conserve this land,” said Roger Vander Plaat, member of the Warwick Conference Center board and chair of the committee which managed the sale. “We are very happy that this property will stay natural and scenic, and bring joy to so many people for years to come.”

Warwick Conference Center, Inc. retained its buildings and 140 acres of the property; proceeds from the sale will support its continued conference and summer camp operations. The buildings, including Mulder Chapel, will not be part of the future town park and will not be open to the public.

The property sits within the federally designated Highlands Conservation Area, a 3.4-million-acre region spanning New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut that serves as a key wildlife corridor and clean-water priority. Three streams on the property feed into Wawayanda Creek, the Wallkill River, and ultimately the Hudson River, helping filter runoff before it reaches downstream communities.