About
Funding
Funding for the land acquisition was provided by the State of New York , Scenic Hudson, and Dutchess County.
Friends of Peach Hill
Friends of Peach Hill is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and care for Peach Hill as undeveloped, passive open space while providing for and fostering: community access to trails and scenic vistas; educational opportunities in a natural setting; the preservation of the property’s historic Hudson Valley orchard landscape; and its role as a nature preserve for wildlife.
History
The Peach Hill orchard was purchased in 1948 by Charles Beck from the Van Kueren family, and had peach, pear and apple trees until 1967 when William Paladino bought it and converted it to apple trees only, perhaps because of a local peach virus in the soil. In 1998 when Bill Paladino Jr. began to pull back production, there were about 10,000 trees. With housing rapidly replacing farming and natural open spaces and Mr. Paladino interested in selling the orchard, the Friends of Peach Hill was formed to save Peach Hill from development.
With Scenic Hudson providing a match (from an earmarked donation) and staff work to facilitate the process, the Town of Poughkeepsie successfully applied for grants from Dutchess County and New York State . In August of 2001 Governor Pataki announced the State’s grant on Peach Hill, and the Town hosted the closing on December 19, 2003 .
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