A 440-acre property near New York’s Minnewaska State Park Preserve was recently acquired by a conservation group that plans to use it expand public access along the Shawangunk Ridge.
The Open Space Institute (OSI) recently acquired the 440-acre Mount Cathalia property, protecting the largest remaining undeveloped, privately-owned parcel adjacent to Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
The site, also known as Mount Meenagha, connects two previously unlinked sections of the park: the South and North Gully areas near the Ellenville Ice Caves. OSI officials said they intend to transfer the property to New York State as an addition to the Sam’s Point area of Minnewaska, which will bring the park to more than 24,000 acres.
Since 1974, OSI has protected more than 40,000 acres in the Shawangunks and added 14,000 acres to Minnewaska, more than doubling the park’s size. OSI has also restored nearly 18 miles of the park’s historic carriage road network and raised $3 million to support construction of the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, which opened in 2020.
“Mt. Cathalia is an extraordinary landscape on every level—environmentally, recreationally, and historically,” said Erik Kulleseid, OSI’s President and CEO. “OSI has already more than doubled the size of Minnewaska, and this acquisition moves us closer to realizing our vision for a permanently conserved and connected Shawangunk Ridge.”
With stunning views of the Shawangunk Ridge from its 1,750-foot peak, Mount Cathalia holds a special place in the region’s history. In the late nineteenth century, when the property was primarily known as Mount Meenagha, the Terwilliger family established the Town of Wawarsing’s first prominent summer resort on the site. In the 1950s, U.S. Army veteran, businessman, and attorney Joseph Tso purchased the property, renamed it Mount Cathalia—meaning “a little bit of China”—and transformed it into the nation’s only Chinese American-owned and operated ski resort and hotel.
At a time when discrimination limited where many Chinese Americans, Jews, and other minority groups were permitted to stay and enjoy time close to nature, Mount Cathalia welcomed visitors shut out from other local resorts.
Beyond its cultural significance, Mount Cathalia is also recognized for its exceptional conservation value. The property was listed as a priority acquisition in the New York State Open Space Plan and the Town of Shawangunk Open Space Plan. Many of the property’s former ski runs are now flower-filled meadows surrounded by mature chestnut oak and pine forests. With rocky outcroppings of Shawangunk conglomerate and deep, hemlock-lined gullies, the property is a patchwork of unique habitats.
OSI purchased the Mount Cathalia property for $3.3 million from Morgan Barrington Financial Services, Inc. During OSI’s ownership, the property will remain closed to the public as OSI works with approved partners to secure and prepare the land for future addition to Minnewaska.
