Poughkeepsie-based Scenic Hudson announced that the group received 119 acres that it will use to enlarge its Shaupeneak Ridge Preserve up to approximately 700 acres.

The Shaupeneak Ridge Preserve is in the Marlboro Mountains.As part of the organization's "Save the Land that Matters Most" initiative, land trusts, local governments, individuals and companies have united to safeguard ecological and picturesque terrain throughout the Hudson Valley.

The acquisition, financed by the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Hudson Valley Land Preservation Endowment, incorporates environmentally protected regions along Old Post and Poppletown Road, according to the Daily Freeman. These zones contain endangered animals, such as the northern cricket frog, and wetlands that nourish reptiles and amphibians.  Preserved woodlands, also within the newly possessed area, remove carbon that produces climate change.

The purchase will protect the property from potential exploitation and permit the establishment of a trail that will offer scenic views of lands to the north and west.