Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Date of Notice:               December 4, 2024

Lead Agency:                 New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (OPRHP)

Title of Action:                Development of the core elements of the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail

SEQR Classification:     Type I

This Notice is issued pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 617, the implementing regulations of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, found at Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law.

A Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement has been completed and accepted for the proposed action described below.

Location of Action: A 7.5-mile long non-motorized shared-use (pedestrian and bicycle), publicly accessible linear park along the eastern shore of the Hudson River, connecting the Village of Cold Spring (Putnam County, New York) with the City of Beacon (Dutchess County, New York) and partially running within or adjacent to Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve.

Description of Action: Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Inc. (HHFT, Inc.), (the "Applicant"), proposes to construct the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail ("Fjord Trail"), a non-motorized, shared-use (pedestrian and bicycle), publicly accessible linear park along the eastern shore of the Hudson River, bookended by the City of Beacon on the north and the Village of Cold Spring on the south. The Fjord Trail would be partially within the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve (HHSPP), which is owned and managed by OPRHP, and would extend through other public and private lands. The action under review solely includes the development of 7.5 miles of Main Trail, 2.8 miles of Trail Meanders, Trail Banks, Water Trail Connections, 2.2 miles of Regional Trail connections, two new parking areas (The Notch and Wade's Hill), expansion of the Washburn lot parking area, restroom buildings at five locations, and a maintenance facility in Beacon. The component parts of this action described above were part of the Applicant's 2020 Draft Master Plan for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail.

Potential Environmental Impacts: The development of the core elements of the Fjord Trail is an action which may have significant impacts on the environment. The trail corridor is adjacent to the Hudson River and wetland complexes and crosses Fishkill Creek. The corridor contains significant natural and scenic resources. There are multiple significant ecological communities noted in the trail corridor as identified by the New York Natural Heritage Program. There are also several endangered, threatened, or special concern species known to occur in or near the trail corridor. The project area is located in the Hudson River National Heritage Area and a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance. There are many sites in the vicinity of the project area listed on the National Register for Historic Places, and there are documented archaeological resources. The DGEIS addresses the potential impacts of the proposed Fjord Trail and mitigation measures, as needed.

Public Hearing and Comments:  Public hearings will be held virtually on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Registration information is below.

Afternoon Session (2:00 pm):
Date and time: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/rbfeea7a65433599546e0c2bec2d4ce92
Join by phone: +1-415-527-5035 United States Toll
Access code: 2831 020 5910

Evening Session (6:00 pm):
Date and time: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/r5d3bf55361c95affccf766b51b2412ce
Join by phone: +1-415-527-5035 United States Toll
Access code: 2828 052 7848

Persons may provide verbal comments at a public hearing. Comments may also be provided by email or in writing no later than the end of the public comment period – Sunday, February 2, 2025.  Comments can be emailed to: hhft.plan@parks.ny.gov or mailed to the Agency Contact:

Nancy Stoner, Environmental Analyst
NYS OPRHP, DESP
625 Broadway, 2^nd Floor
Albany, NY 12238
Phone # 518-486-2699.

Availability of the DGEIS:

·       The online version of the DGEIS is available at the following publicly accessible website:  https://parks.ny.gov/inside-our-agency/public-documents.aspx.

·       Also available on the website are the 2020 Draft Master Plan, 2015 Preliminary Draft Master Plan, and Final Scoping Document.

·       The 2020 Draft Master Plan and DGEIS are also available here:  https://hhft.org/

A hard copy of the DGEIS will be available for review at the following locations: