Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's Highlands

The story of the twenty-five-year quest to preserve twenty thousand acres of forest in southeastern New York.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Foreword by Richard Botshon and Lisa Botshon 1. A Forest Is at Stake 2. Money from the Colonial Rocks Sterling Forest-A gem of Highlands real estate Iron mines flourish, then fade Key tracts change hands Early conservation efforts in the Highlands The nineteenth and twentieth century preservation movement emerges 3. The Sprawl Wars Begin Looking at land as a high-profit investment Sprawl imposes major changes in the region Big plans afoot for the forest Major constraints to large-scale subdivision The Sterling Forest Corporation's first plan The corporation's next plan: Sterling One The people of Tuxedo versus the corporation Orange County welcomes money from sprawl 4. The Art of Launching a (Forest) Preservation Movement, 1985-1990 Protecting the Appalachian Trail in the 1980s, piece by piece As the grassroots mobilizes ... the corporation reinvents itself The death and life of a Thruway Exit in Tuxedo "Convergence of concern about Sterling Forest" A new strategic element: The Sterling Forest Coalition The corporation strikes back Heimbach brought in as development point man The pivotal Kostmayer hearing on preservation sets the federal stage The recalcitrance of Benjamin Gilman 5. New Corporate Actions Make Enviros Scramble The parent corporation loses money big time Need cash? Float a plan for 14,500 houses The very first federal money-$250,000 for a Highlands study The corporation envisions murals, fountains, and some trees But forest watchers see a Swiss-cheese forest Asking the feds for big bucks New York barely hangs on as a player Divisions in the environmental ranks A forest on two launch pads 6. Government Sees Green The partial purchase proposal: Selling the forest for seed money New players in Washington: Three supporters introduce key House legislation The Park Service gets balky Stateside: New Jersey firms up its commitment Stateside: New York State creates a new open space funding source The downward spiral of Home Holdings 7. Turning the Grassroots into a Fighting Force Sterling Forest Coalition moves to the rear; the new Sterling Forest Resources is launched The Public Private Partnership to Save Sterling Forest Environmental review of the corporation's project begins The public gets its say 8. Bounced Around in the Washington Turf Wars Contract with America holds up congressional action New York wants it to happen The diabolical land swap proposals of 1996 Dousing the Contract with America brushfire Back to the negotiating table Sales contract for 90 percent of the forest Back to the Washington melee Time is running out 9. The Open Space Movement Saves a Highlands Jewel The federal and state governments come through, and so does the private sector Contract compromises mar the deal New York and New Jersey get their new park The corporation still banks on a piece of the rock 10. A New Vision for Land Preservation How preservation prevailed The fight for open space continues Sprawl is not inevitable Epilogue by Jurgen Wekerle Notes Index

About the Author :
Ann Botshon (1942-2004) was Coordinator of the Wallkill River Task Force and Editor of the Sierra Atlantic, the quarterly magazine published by the Atlantic (New York) Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Review :
"The long but ultimately victorious battle to protect Sterling Forest should be a model for other efforts around the country to prevent sprawl and preserve open spaces. Passionate private citizens, supported by several nonprofit organizations and backed by the hard work of public officials in two states and at many levels of government, together defended this spectacular natural resource from rapidly encroaching development. As a result, we established one of the largest tracts of protected land near a major metropolitan area to be found anywhere in the country, ensuring that this ecologically, scenically, and historically significant property will be enjoyed by future generations.Ann Botshon's work is an important documentation of one of the most significant open space victories in the nation. It is imperative that the lessons learned in the struggle to save Sterling Forest be imparted to a new generation of advocates who are likely to face even more difficult challenges in protecting our access to and relationship with the natural world." - U.S. Representative Maurice D. Hinchey, 22nd Congressional District of New York