The Hyson family for decades has conserved land in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and that tradition continued in 2022.
Chris and Audrey Hyson gifted 107 acres in Keene to the Adirondack Land Trust to become part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, according to the Adirondack Almanack. Chris' great-grandparents settled in Keene Valley in the late 1800s, and much of their expansive property holdings has been given to the community since, including when Chris' parents granted 78 acres to the trust in 1996.
This tract is located in Upstate New York not far from the Vermont border and includes floodplain and part of Baxter Mountain, the Almanack reported. The Hysons also contributed one-third mile of shoreline on the East Branch of the Ausable River.
The Adirondack Land Trust's mission is "to forever conserve the forests, farmlands, waters and wild places that advance the quality of life of our communities and the ecological integrity of the Adirondacks," according to its website.
It oversees the Adirondack Park, which is many times bigger than Yellowstone National Park, and features one of the largest intact temperate-deciduous forests on Earth. The land trust says the park holds 85% of the dedicated wilderness in the East, 3,000 lakes and ponds, and 130,000 residents in more than 100 small towns who form "a living model of how people can thrive with nature, through economies tied to a healthy environment and communities that benefit from clean water and access to trails and wild places."
The Almanack reported the trust would "keep the forest intact" and pay property taxes before transferring it to the state, which would open it for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities.
The trust has protected 28,257 acres and 125 miles of shoreline since it was founded in 1984.
Land donations have been a terrific trend in recent years. Other recent examples include a family donating 531 acres in Texas, and a former Patagonia exec and her late husband, a founder of The North Face, bought over $345 million worth of land in South America so they could rehabilitate and donate it to Chile and Argentina.
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