History of Friends of the Shawangunks & The Shawangunk Conservancy

Throughout its history, Friends of the Shawangunks (Friends) and its affiliate, The Shawangunk Conservancy (TSC), have faced down threats to the Shawangunk Ridge. In the Beginning In 1963, the first recorded threat in Friends’ history, senators from New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania proposed a bill to study the feasibility of creating a skyline […]

Who We Work With

Basha Kill Area Association https://thebashakill.org Minnewaska State Park Preserve https://parks.ny.gov/parks/127 New York New Jersey Trail Conference https://www.nynjtc.org Mohonk Preserve https://www.mohonkpreserve.org Open Space Institute https://www.openspaceinstitute.org Palisades Interstate Park Commission https://www.njpalisades.org/pipc.html

Board of Directors

John Hayes, President John Hayes has deep roots in the Shawangunks. In the 1950s and 1960s, His family “summered” on Rock Hill Road in the view shed of Skytop and Copes. He grew up alongside the Gunks, exploring and hiking the land from an early age. It was only as an adult that John came to […]

Why We Love The Shawangunks

Robi Josephson and Ted Reiss – Members since 1990: “Ancient bedrock, white cliffs, sky lakes. Huckleberries, mountain laurels, hemlocks.  Chipmunks, deer, bears.  Hermit thrushes, peregrine falcons, bald eagles.  Vistas extend to the horizon.  Protected lands stretching thousands of acres.  It’s a mountain range that has called to people for thousands of years and calls to […]