PROTECTED HABITAT AREAS

WLC protects hundreds of acres of land in Woodstock and the eastern Catksills area. While we are pleased to steward five preserves with public trails, we also steward trailless lands that are either limited in terms of public access due to parking challenges or unavailable to the public due to a variety of limitations. We're still proud to ensure these lands remain preserved forever. Here are a few of those special habitats.

TRAILLESS AREAS WITH NO PARKING
Sawkill Bend off West Ohayo Mountain Road (Bearsville)
Donated to WLC in 2006, this seven-acre property features rugged woodland and sensitive Sawkill River streambanks, across from the town water supply wellheads at Mallory Grove.

Ludins Field, Chestnut Hill Road (Woodstock)
First placed under easement and then given to WLC as an outright gift in 1995 by the renowned Woodstock artist
Eugene Ludins, this six-acre property has an open meadow offering a direct view of Overlook Mountain.

Maverick-Area Quarry Land (Woodstock)
This 11.2-acre property of bedrock shelves and old quarries was donated to WLC in 2018.

PRIVATE LANDS OWNED BY WLC
Forestland on Mount Guardian
WLC’s protection of this scenic and ecological gem began in 2000 with the outright gift of two ridgeline parcels
totaling 18 acres. WLC has since added six more parcels, totaling nearly 110 acres. Besides safeguarding views of
one of Woodstock's most iconic ridgelines, this preserve meets habitat conservation goals, connecting valley
bottoms to mountainsides and peaks, creating habitat corridors for diverse or threatened natural species and
protecting Mt. Guardian's mixed hardwood and coniferous forest ecosystem and the critters that thrive there.

Forestland in Saugerties
WLC owns 75 acres of undeveloped forest land in the Town of Saugerties which protects part of a large and intact forest ecosystem designated as a Globally Important Forest Block. Areas such as these have the potential to support wide ranging as well as area sensitive species, especially those which require interior forest habitat. Globally Important forests are large enough to support genetic diversity over several generations and are more resilient and better adapted to the changing climate.

Forestland on Mt. Tobias
Thanks to our incredible supporters, we secured the funding needed to close on these 65 acres atop Mt. Tobias in May 2025. We are pleased to protect this land along the mountain's southwest ridge line. This unique acreage is composed of pristine forest habitat, which is ranked in the top 1% of the Forest Condition Index. It is part of the Hudson Valley Core Forest, especially important for sensitive wildlife including many forest songbirds. It comprises a significant wildlife corridor connecting lower and higher elevations that are critically important for wildlife movement in a changing climate.