A huge parcel of land located along the Appalachian Trail in Dutchess County is now publicly owned, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Trust for Public Land announced Tuesday. 

The state’s land acquisition will protect 505 acres of land in the Hudson Valley county and create the Grape Hollow State Forest, which state officials said would provide "enhanced wildlife habitat protection and a larger buffer for the adjoining Appalachian Trail corridor. " 

The new park bumps up against the Appalachian Trail, and has its own trails for hiking.

Officials from the Trust for Public Land say that with growing development in the Hudson Valley, it’s important to keep green spaces protected.

“The Appalachian Trail, has been in existence for over 100 years. It's an iconic national trail that pretty much everybody knows about," said Francis O’Shea, project manager for Trust for Public Land. "And so our job is to protect not just the footpath itself, but the surrounding landscape to ensure that future hikers and visitors are able to experience it in the way that it was meant to be experienced.”

The acquisition supports the state’s "30X30" initiative, meant to conserve 30% of the state’s land and waters by 2030.

DEC purchased the parcel using $1.3 million from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and $1.3 million provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Highlands Conservation Act.