Help Create a New Center for Conservation & Community Education at Mohonk Preserve

Work begins Fall / Winter 2024

Phase 1 of the project will rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the Brook Farmhouse for the Preserve’s Conservation Science and Land Protection teams and provide space for youth nature education programs.

The Farmhouse will undergo needed repairs, energy-efficient upgrades, and repartitioning of some of the interior spaces. Interior improvements will include the creation of new office spaces, upgraded insulation, bathroom and kitchen renovations and restoration of the grand entry, staircase and first floor rooms. Exterior improvements will include replacing the existing roof, siding, windows and doors with historic-style energy efficient materials along with restoring the building’s historic details including window trim, stairs, porch and railings. New ADA access also will be created and utility upgrades include undergrounding electrical service, installing a carbon-free heating and cooling system, and constructing a new septic system.

Proposed site improvements include:

• Selective dismantling of structurally-unsound agricultural buildings and repurposing salvageable lumbar

• Formalization of nine (9) gravel parking spaces including one (1) ADA spaces and four (4) EV charging spaces;

• A 5-foot-wide stabilized aggregate accessible route providing a connection to the existing pavilion and a new ADA ramp at the back of the Brook Farmhouse;

• A 6-foot-wide stabilized aggregate walkway providing access to the front of the farmhouse;

• A small orientation area and educational kiosk;

• A new patio and stairs adjacent to the south façade porch entry;

• Removal of the existing pad mounted propane tank and service lines;

• Replacement of the existing septic system to a new location outside of delineated wetlands;

• Establishment of new wetland buffer areas with native wetland fringe plantings; and

• New native planting areas around the farmhouse.

Photo by Paul Huth