The sanctuary exists to ensure that current and future generations in New Paltz and the wider community of the Mid-Hudson Valley have a place where they can enjoy nature in a “forever wild” setting.
Located on Huguenot Street in the town and village of New Paltz, the 56 acres of property comprising the Sanctuary has relatively open areas dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants. These provide rich and varied habitat opportunities for a wide range of plants and animals. The Sanctuary includes an “oxbow,” a complex of ponds and wetlands remaining from a tightly-curved meander cut off when the Wallkill River straightened its course hundreds of years ago.
The Sanctuary has over 1,300 feet of frontage on the Wallkill River and adjoins the Jewett and Khosla properties, two historic Huguenot farms totaling more than 180 acres. The Sanctuary also adjoins land owned by the Village of New Paltz containing the Gardens for Nutrition, a community-supported public gardening area. Nearby is Historic Huguenot Street featuring seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground, and a reconstructed 1717 stone church — all in their original village setting. Historic Huguenot Street offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world.
Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary website here.