Mohonk Preserve Accomodates Seniors - for the Poughkeepsie Journal

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The Mohonk Preserve has always been a place in which visitors of all ages and demographic orientation can hike, climb, bicycle, and enjoy the beauty of the Shawangunk Mountains.

In conjunction with the Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation, the Mohonk Preserve will invest money from their newly secured grant to make the preserve more senior-citizen-friendly.

The ideology behind this “Seniors Project” is to make currently existing programs more accommodating to senior citizens as well as create new programs in which seniors can act as both participants and organizers.

This idea spawned due to the increasing number of senior citizens in Ulster County coupled with the preserve’s desire to bring all demographics to the outdoors.

“There is definitely a growing senior population in the county,” said Nadia Steinzor, Communications Director at Mohonk. “So we want to do our best and our part to connect them to the amazing outdoor resources that the county has to offer…”

A main focus of the “Seniors Project” is connecting seniors with younger generations. Ideally, the generational gap will be obscured by a mutual appreciation for the outdoors as well as spending time with loved ones.

“Part of our thinking is that grandparents have a lot of free time and are spending a lot of time with their grandkids. A lot of people of the grandparent generation grew up spending time outdoors and we’re doing a lot at the preserve to try to inspire the ideas of studying and enjoying nature,” said Steinzor.

Details regarding the adaptation of existing programs as well as the introduction of new programs are currently being hammered out and will kick off in 2010.

According to Jeffrey Wood, Executive Director of the Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation, the organization has nothing but confidence in the Mohonk Preserve’s upcoming endeavors.

“[The ‘Senior Project’] is an opportunity to expand their reach and obtain more users,” said Wood. “They’re a community outreach organization and this gives them a great opportunity to do that.”