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.

Our annual Senior Holiday Lunch sponsored by the Town of New Paltz took place on December 19th. Main Course of New Paltz catered the delicious food. Lunch participant Willie Lee provided the magic tricks.

Please sign up for our newsletter to be notified about upcoming senior events. Or email Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov. 

If you missed the presentation, the recording will be posted here soon.

Dr. Jeffrey Seidman, Vassar College 

Dan Murray, Energy Safety Consultant and Retired Chief in Charge of HazMat Operations FDNY

See full flyer here.

If you missed Ashawna's visit to the Community Center to talk about how to become a Mohonk Preserve Community Scientist, you can still read about it here. You can also email volunteers@mohonkpreserve.org.

(Photo by Mohonk Preserve staff.)

We all had so much fun at Melanie's community sewing event! She brought in a vast expanse of beautiful, thrifted fabrics already sewn together. Participants saw combinations of patterns that inspired them, cut it out to size for an oven mitt or pot holder, stitched the pieces together on her gorgeous vintage machines, or took the project home to finish, along with patterns to make more. I'm pretty sure most left with the feeling of "I want to sew more!" It was fun doing it all together. Huge "thank you" to Melanie Gonzalez for hosting one of her incredible community sewing events at our Center! She will also be exhibiting her beautiful photographs on our walls very soon!

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Participants of the sewing workshop will learn basic techniques of hand or machine sewing and set up for a handmade home goods project. Everyone will get to explore sewing stations, prep materials, and experience vintage sewing machines and sergers.

Melanie Gonzalez is an Ulster County based photographic artist. Her photography has a concentration on vibrant double exposures of architectural landscapes and flora. Her sewing combines photographic studio skills, with textile printing, patchwork quilting, including upcycled garments and accessories. She is also a recipient of the 2022-23 Creatives Rebuild NY Grant. Melanie’s mission as a New York-based artist is to mesh the worlds of high art and street style. She produces photo art under “Melanie Gonzalez Art”: Professional International Photo, Video and Sound established in 2014, and “Piedra y Sombra Designs” as part of Suzanna Productions (Photo, Sewing and Admin., est. 2019). www.suzannaproductions.com

Free and open to the public. All ages welcome.

Register below or email recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov to sign up.

Saturday, February 7th from 2:00 to 5:00pm. (Community Center)

UCRRA Educator Eva Barret made a great presentation about Bokashi and demonstrated how to make Bokashi bran. Participants left with enough to compost five gallons of kitchen scraps.

While the Bokashi bran ferments for two weeks, Joanna is preparing buckets for a demonstration system at the Community Center hallway soon!

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"Bokashi what?"

It's a type of indoor composting from Japan that is easy, as long as you have the bran, which is what you'll have by the time you leave this workshop! 

Did you know that all the kitchen scraps you throw away get trucked 250 miles to the Seneca Meadows landfill in Watertown, New York? In diesel trucks! If you’ve ever been compost curious, if it’s been on your list of things you’ve been wanting to start doing, this is a great opportunity to make it happen!

Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) educators Eva Barnett and Angelina Brandt will be here to answer questions and guide us through the fun process of making homemade bran, which is cheap if you DIY it, expensive if you buy it.

We will be setting up an example Bokashi system at the Center's hallway soon. It will be announced here when it’s up and running.

You can read more about Bokashi composting here.

Register here.

THANK YOU WENDY AT SECOND NATURE FOR PROVIDING OUR WHEAT BRAN AND MOLASSES FOR THE WORKSHOP!

Saturday, March 7th from 12:00 to 2:00pm. (Community Center)

Perfect for performers or anyone who wants to get silly!

Saturday, March 22nd from 12:00 to 5:00pm. (Community Center)

The New Paltz FireWolves U13 Ultimate Frisbee Travel Team hosted its first middle school tournament at the Field of Dreams on October 12, and it was a great success! First prize was a bushel of apples generously donated by Dressel Farms. The Skytop Showdown hosted Burlington Vermont, Schenectady, NY, Maplewood NJ, Montclair NJ and Tenafly NJ. The FireWolves finished 2-2 while Niskayuna MS (Schenectady) won the tournament and Burlington took second place. The event brought happy visitors to our town and Hudson Valley Ultimate For All hopes to host another great event in the spring.

FREE Karaoke Night! February Karaoke was a lot of fun. Have your songs ready for this next one! Sing in groups or just sing along with everyone else!

English flyer here.

Spanish flyer here.

Saturday,  March 22nd at 7:00pm. (Community Center)

Join us for relaxing creative activities for all ages at Historic Huguenot Street. Stations include rock painting, summer and nature themed wooden ornaments, and watercolor designs.

Options for children, youth, and adults.

See flyer here.

Thursdays from 11:00 to 1:00, July 10th though August 7th. (Historic Huguenot Street)