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Schodack Island State Park

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Schodack Island State Park
Schodack Island State Park's boat launch area as viewed from the western shore of the Hudson River
Schodack Island State Park is located in New York
Schodack Island State Park
Location within New York
TypeState park
Location1 Schodack Island Way
Schodack Landing, New York[1]
Coordinates42°29′N 73°47′W / 42.49°N 73.78°W / 42.49; -73.78
Area1,052 acres (4.26 km2)[2]
Created2002 (2002)[3]
OperatorNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors125,466 (in 2014)[4]
OpenAll year
Camp sites66
WebsiteSchodack Island State Park

Schodack Island State Park (formerly known as Castleton Island State Park[5]) is a 1,052-acre (4.26 km2) state park that spans portions of Rensselaer, Greene, and Columbia counties, New York.[2] The park is located between the Hudson River and Schodack Creek, and was opened in 2002.

History

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The name "Schodack" is from the Mahican terms ishoda ("fire plain") and akee ("land"); the name refers to the area being the former home of the Mohicans' central council fire. During the time of the Mahicans, the area now occupied by the park was a group of six islands; it became a continuous peninsula in the early 1900s when a federal project to construct a deep-water navigation channel to Albany necessitated the construction of dikes and the deposition of dredged material along and between the islands.[3][6]

What was to become Schodack Island State Park was first acquired by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in the 1970s, and was originally known as Castleton Island State Park.[6] It remained undeveloped until the early 2000s.

Schodack Island State Park was opened in 2002,[3] and was initially a day-use only park. In 2013, plans were proposed to add camping facilities to the park, representing the first new campground constructed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in approximately 35 years.[7] The campsites were made available to the public in 2016.[8]

Park facilities

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Schodack Island State Park offers a campground with 66 campsites, picnic tables, eight miles (13 km) of trails, biking, birding, fishing, and hunting. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails are maintained during the winter.[1]

Birds and Habitats

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Schodack Island State Park is one of the best birding hotspots in the Capital/Saratoga Region of New York and a named Important Bird Area (often abbreviated as IBA) by the National Audubon Society and is known for its Eastern Bluebirds, Cerulean Warblers, Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles.[9] It maintains one of the highest counts of Bald Eagles in the state. Birding records show that it supported about 17 Cerulean Warblers in 1997 and the species has been spotted there since 1965. [10] Other records show that Bald Eagles and Ospreys regularly use the canopy and general area, especially by the Hudson River and Boat Launching Area. The park offers many applicable bird habitats, including multiple trails such as the Soaring Eagle 5K trail and the Orange Trail. It offers multiple views of the Hudson River, often by a trail, harboring Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Great Blue Herons. The following chart shows bird species corresponding to each habitat.

A Bald Eagle, one of the most commonly seen species at the Schodack Island State Park IBA.
Bird Species Corresponding to Habitats
Habitat Birds Why Rarity
Walking Trails and Upland Forests -Eastern Bluebird

-Cerulean Warbler -American Robin -American Goldfinch -Various Warblers

 Offers diverse terrain, canopy and sheltering

and food/prey.

 Ranges from common to somewhat rare.
Hudson River -Bald Eagle

-Osprey -Great Blue Heron

 Offers fish, water for various uses and other resources. Common
Marshes -Red Winged Blackbird

-Various Wrens -Sparrows

 Offers various recources and unique habitats. Common

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Schodack Island State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 674. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Governor, Majority Leader Open Schodack Island State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. June 19, 2002. Archived from the original on September 21, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  5. ↑ Green, Stella; Zimmerman, H. Neil (2008). Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley: Hikes and Walks from Westchester County to Albany. The Countryman Press. p. 271. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Huey, Paul R. (May 1997). "Historical and Archeological Resources of Castleton Island State Park, Towns of Stuyvesant, Columbia County; New Baltimore, Greene County; and Schodack, Rensselaer County, New York: A Preliminary Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  7. ↑ Brower, Emily (May 22, 2014). "Schodack Island State Park to get more campsites". Times Union. Albany, NY. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ "New Schodack Island State Park Campground Now Open". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. April 15, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Schodack Island State Park - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation". parks.ny.gov. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Schodack Island SP IBA".
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