Groups secure grant to study future of Harlen Swamp

TOWN OF THOMPSON – Armed with a $50,000 grant from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, The Orange County Land Trust will be engaging a consultant to study of the Harlen Swamp in the Sullivan County Town of Thompson. Sullivan County owns the property that it acquired through a tax foreclosure. Land Trust Director of Conservation Kyle Sanduski said they will study the environmental components of the land. “That 568-acre property that we hope to protect was directly identified in the 2016 New York State Open Space Plan, recognizing it for both its scenic habitat and also its critical environmental function,” he said. “The property contains a large complex of wetlands over a significant aquifer, and protecting that forested land there is vital to the water quality and water recharge for the surrounding watershed.” The property was assessed in 2024 for $930,000. It is adjacent to the Environmental Conservation Camp owned by the Middletown YMCA. After the study has been comp