DEC looking to buy Big Island

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

LAKE HUNINGTON, NY — The Town of Cochecton has sent a letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) voicing support for the DEC’s plan to purchase Big Island, a 119-acre island in the Upper Delaware River.

Currently owned by Joseph DeFalco, the island is located in the towns of Cochecton and Delaware. At one point DeFalco proposed to develop the property, but he could not gain approval from the DEC and Army Corp of Engineers to build an appropriate access to the island from the New York side of the river.

Recently, he approached the DEC as a willing seller.

In a letter sent to both towns, DEC Natural Resources Supervisor William Rudge wrote, “Our intent will be to acquire this property as a state forest, devoted to the establishment and maintenance of forests for watershed protection, the production of timber, wildlife, habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities.”

Upper Delaware Council (UDC) Executive Director William Douglass said the UDC would wait to express an opinion on the matter until it receives opinions from the Cochecton and Delaware town boards.

The Delaware Town Board had just received Rudge’s letter early this week. The board met on Wednesday, March 16, after this issue went to press.