The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has designated the City of Newburgh as an Environmental Justice Community, recognizing it as a minority, low-income area that suffers disproportionately from negative environmental impacts caused by local development, including reduced access to nature. Crystal Lake, a 109-acre urban forest located in the city’s third ward, is tucked into the only city ward with less than one acre of designated parkland, despite housing the largest uninterrupted greenspace in the city. The neighborhood is also home to 71 percent of residents who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Over the last year, the Newburgh Wants a Park Campaign (NWaPC) has grown from a community-led initiative into a robust coalition supported by 30+ community partners, whose common goal is to encourage Newburgh City Council and executive staff to designate Crystal Lake as a public park and nature preserve. NWaPC has successfully surveyed public imagination on the park’s multi-uses through a series of direct-actions, community events, and educational initiatives that culminated in the publication of the NWaPC Community Input Brief and presentation to city officials. Park designation would prevent future development of Crystal Lake, leaving it as a vast natural resource for Newburgh’s underserved community. It would also protect soil health and carbon sequestration capabilities as part of the larger Hudson Valley ecosystem.
