The Open Space Institute’s plans to buy another 425 acres of undeveloped and largely unused land on the hills above Napanoch would connect to 1,000 acres on eight lots that OSI purchased in the area last year, further strengthening links between the Shawangunk Ridge and Catskill Park.

“The OSI goal of ecological and recreational connection between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Park continues to be something we work towards,” Matt Decker, the OSI’s Northeast Land Project Manager, said in an interview. “We seek a resilient connection between them. There are 30,000 protected acres on the ridge and 288,000 in the Catskills.”

That’s not to say that animals respect human boundaries.

“There does not have to be a single point of connection between them.” Decker said. “If you’re a bird or a bear you are not following the green lines.”

Once the purchase is completed, OSI will probably work with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, as it did with land that was formerly part of the former Lundy Estate on the edge of the Sundown Wild Forest and many other properties in the region.

“Eventually, we will also review the possible opportunities of opening the land for recreation purposes,” Decker said.

Decker didn’t hide his enthusiasm for the Napanoch purchase.

“From the top of the hill above Napanoch, there’s a straight line on this land all the way to Dowe Road, which is about three- and three-quarters of a mile away.”

He added, “When you climb up that hill, you find the most beautiful, untouched headwater area. That’s where a stream that has no name starts and goes downhill to join the Fantine Kill on the other side of Irish Cape Road.”

Wells that service the Napanoch Water District are located in a row parallel to Route 55 on the northern edge of the property. Between Route 55 and Irish Cape Road there are ponds and headwaters for many streams, making this land a critical environmental resource.

“While we are still in the process of completing the purchase and are doing due diligence, the plan is to subdivide off about 54 acres at the bottom of the hill, where the property reaches Route 55.”

That part of the property also borders the Rondout Creek, which, tumbling down from what was once Honk Lake, takes a sharp turn before flowing down through Napanoch’s former industrial area on its way to join the Sandburg Creek past the hospital and airport.