july 2, 2004

Contact: Ian Michaels (718) 595-6600

New York City DEP Will Offer Interpretive Hike on Water Supply Lands in Town of Olive

General Information

Commissioner Christopher O. Ward of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that DEP will offer an interpretive hike on its 369-acre Piney Point Recreation Unit on Saturday, August 7. This will be the first of five is the fourth of five planned hiking activities over the summer months. Details about upcoming hikes will be announced in the near future.

The Piney Point Recreation area is open for hiking, fishing and deer hunting for persons with DEP Access Permits, and features mixed hardwood forest with evergreen stands, old wood roads and an abandoned quarry in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains . Hikers who have valid Access Permits are invited to participate. For further information and to sign up for the August 7 hike, call DEP’s Ashokan Land Management Office at 845-657-2663.

In addition, upstate residents, sportsmen, boaters, hikers and fishermen who are interested in further information about managing upstate watershed lands or other recreational opportunities, or wish to apply for DEP Access Permits, should visit the DEP web site at www.nyc.gov/watershedrecreation. A Watershed Recreation Newsletter, published seasonally by DEP, is also available on the site. A link is provided at this site to the DEP Watershed web site, which contains information on various watershed programs, projects and activities. The DEP Permit Office at (800) 575-LAND can also provide help in obtaining Access Permits. For additional information about downstate and upstate watershed and water supply activities visit DEP’s home page, nyc.gov/dep.