The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the acquisition of 595 acres of forest in the town of Jay, Essex County, known as the Four Peaks Tract, from the Adirondack Land Trust. The acquisition adjoins the Beaver Brook Tract, part of the Wilmington Wild Forest. 

The Four Peaks tract was identified in the New York State Open Space Conservation Plan and includes the potential to expand recreational opportunities from the Beaver Brook trail network (known locally as Hardy Road), which features 8.5 miles of single-track bike trails. Currently, the Beaver Brook Tract can only be publicly accessed in Wilmington. The new acquisition is almost entirely in the town of Jay and allows for access to the Beaver Brook Tract from Jay, creating potential for an additional trailhead and connector trails.  

Future recreational development on the tract will require the Adirondack Park Agency to classify these lands prior to undergoing DEC’s unit management planning process.  

The Adirondack Land Trust purchased the land in May 2018. DEC acquired the $575,000 property through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Among the many environmental victories in the enacted 2024-25 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders maintained the historically high level of $400 million in EPF funding. The EPF supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects water sources, advances conservation efforts, and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers. The EPF also supports New York’s 30×30 initiative, which commits to conserving 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030.  

For more information on Wilmington Wild Forest, visit DEC’s Website.