Press Release: The Nyquist Foundation Transfers Ownership of Wildlife Sanctuary to Wallkill Valley Land Trust

June 19, 2023

The Nyquist Foundation Transfers Ownership of Wildlife Sanctuary to Wallkill Valley Land Trust

May 25, 2023

NEW PALTZ — The Thomas and Corrine Nyquist Foundation is excited to announce that the ownership and management of the 56-acre Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary was transferred to the Wallkill Valley Land Trust (WVLT) on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. This is exciting news for the community as it ensures the Nyquist- Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located in the Village and Town of New Paltz, adjacent to the Wallkill River, remains open space with foot trails to enjoy.

The effort to preserve the property goes back to 1976 when Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) acquired the 55.85-acre property from Hastings Harcourt, formally establishing a nature sanctuary. In 2009, HHS committed to a conservation easement with WVLT ensuring it would be forever protected.

Later on in 2011, the property found itself under new ownership when the Thomas and Corinne Nyquist Foundation purchased the property. The new owners of the property, Thomas and Corinne Nyquist, were deeply rooted in the area.

Thomas (Tom) Nyquist was a former faculty member of SUNY New Paltz and also served as Mayor of New Paltz
for a number of years. Corinne Nyquist was a former faculty member, serving at the Sojourner Truth Library
at SUNY New Paltz. Founded in 2004 with the income of their family farm in Montana, the Thomas and Corinne Nyquist Foundation provides grants, scholarships, and nonprofit programs in both New Paltz and in Montana. When they bought the property, they changed the name to the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary.

For the last decade, the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary has remained under the ownership of the Nyquist Foundation with the WVLT stewarding the conservation easement. Tom Nyquist passed away in 2019, but his wife Corinne, children and grandchildren continue to lead the Nyquist Foundation, supporting small needs for 501(c)3 private or governmental organizations in the towns of Bainville, Froid and Culbertson, MT and New Paltz, NY.

The WVLT will continue to not only steward the conservation easement, but also further management needs, including habitat restoration projects. If you would like to be a part of the future stewardship of this special property, please contact the WVLT at info@WallkillValleyLT.org

About The Thomas and Corinne Nyquist Foundation
The Thomas and Corinne Nyquist Foundation is a family foundation formed in 2004 to provide financial support for local initiatives and programs of nonprofit organizations and groups in New Paltz, NY, and in Roosevelt County, Montana, with emphasis on the communities of Bainville, Culbertson, and Froid. To learn more about the Nyquist Foundation and Tom’s continued legacy, visit www.nyquistfdtn.org.