About SPARC
The Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition, aka SPARC, is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization founded in 1987 by the late Ben Kissam to save as open space the 7,000 acres west of Drury Lane, adjacent to Stewart Airport in Newburgh, in Orange County New York. SPARC formed a coalition of diverse groups, from sportsmen and environmentalists, to concerned citizens and smart-development advocates, to persuade the "powers that be" to channel development appropriately, rather than scatter it across these valuable lands.
Originally, a good portion of the 7,000 acres was a community - until 1971 when lands were condemned and taken in order to provide a necessary airport buffer zone. You can see the remnants of driveways and home sites, and the old roads that enter the forest at several points. This acreage, what we often call "the lands" for short, now serves a variety of purposes. It is a unique habitat for wildlife and plant life. It serves as a public hunting cooperative. It is a multi-recreational area for hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird-watching and other passive uses. It offers cross-country skiing and snowmobile trails. Portions of the land are also (still) farmed. The lands also help mitigate ongoing air pollution, while providing a noise and safety buffer around Stewart International Airport to the east -- thus the phrase "buffer lands."
Through
the years SPARC has served as a watchdog over Stewart Airport
development and has steadfastly lobbied to influence and bring the public into the planning
process. SPARC did not oppose airport expansion and development; its
focus was to preserve those 7,000 unique acres, rather than convert large areas (and spending lots of taxpayer dollars on infrastructure) into
cargo-related facilities such as warehouses and office parks.
The fight was a long one, but resulted in victory. In 1999, New York Governor Pataki set aside about 5,100 acres of the buffer lands as 'State Forest Land'. (But at the same time, he also allowed the Empire State Development Corporation, New York State's development arm, to offer 1,200 acres for development.) Fortunately, that development was not to be, because in 2005, after a long legal action, SPARC settled its case and won protection of the entire 7,000 acres as Stewart State Forest, to be managed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
SPARC
was delighted with the settlement, but a huge legal debt remained. To
retire this debt, SPARC has sponsored events such the Bike Tour, its
annual Trail Ride in May for horseback riders, and a fall banquet
dinner. Thanks to the generous support of its Board of Directors, past
and present, and its many members, SPARC succeeded in paying off this
large debt in 2008. Today, SPARC continues its role as watchdog and
advocate for the lands. If you have enjoyed Stewart State Forest, and
would like future generations to be able to do the same, please join
SPARC as a member today.
SPARC is all-volunteer and our fiscal sponsor is the Open Space
Institute; contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the
law.
SPARC's most recent newsletters (PDF files):
Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Summer 2009
Summer 2010
Spring 2011
Fall 2011