Orange County Land Trust received a grant to purchase 136 acres of forest space on the Gibraltar Rock property in the town of Warwick.

As one of 13 recipients to receive the Community Forest Grant from the U.S. Forest Service, the Land Trust was awarded $484,000 to implement a community forest program, eventually making way for public access, passive recreation and educational programming.

Communications Manager of Orange County Land Trust Jeremy Schneider said Gibraltar Rock, which is a five-acre anvil of rock, has been a site of natural gathering for centuries.

“People have been flocking to outdoor spaces for health and wellness, recreation, exercise, so it's been clear that people want more, more trails, more parks, more places where they can spend time away from screens. So, this new addition is going to add to that,” Schneider said.

Schneider said they’ll be making a management plan and setting goals over the next two to three years in order to open the space to the public.

He said the Land Trust will be hosting workshops and information sessions, so the public can share input and ideas for the Gibraltar Rock Community Forest.

To stay up to date on the latest with the project, you can visit oclt.org.