WADHAMS, N.Y. (WCAX) – SUNY Plattsburgh is selling property to a local land trust at a cherished education camp that’s used by astronomers, students, and hikers.
For more than 80 years, the 700-acre Twin Valleys Education Center has been owned and operated by SUNY Plattsburgh in the Town of Lewis. Now, Champlain Area Trails is buying the property for $1,050,000, the group’s single largest purchase ever.
“We wanted to do our best to make sure the spirit of the property continued on,” said Arin Burdo with Champlain Area Trails. She says they plan to close on the sale this month.
College officials say they decided to part ways with the property because of declining campus use and “financial pressures.” For former SUNY Plattsburgh student — and CATS staffer — Samantha Beck, the center is a place where friendships were made. “I spent my whole first week of college here,” she said. Beck says the sprawling property has roughly 15 miles of hiking trails and diverse wildlife. “There are so many unique viewpoints and unique ecosystems.”
CATS’ Tony Thoman says that includes four peaks. “Each peak is around 1,000 feet. Each peak has its own unique view. You can either look at the High Peaks, you can look toward Vermont, Lake Champlain, you can get some nice local views of all of the farms around here,” he said.
Beck says CATS plans to use the land for future educational programs. “I definitely plan to center a lot of my outdoor educational, environmental educational programs here, to do bird walks or other nature walks, to utilize the fact that these are some of the darkest skies in the Northeast,” she said.
Burdo also says it’s the land trust’s first property with existing buildings, which they will develop plans for down the road.
