ULSTER COUNTY — Scenic Hudson has protected nearly 200 acres of what it calls ecologically important lands along the Hudson River and Black Creek in Ulster County.

Accomplished by two transactions, the land deals eventually will provide additional opportunities to connect people with nature and are the latest transactions in the organization’s campaign to Save the Land That Matters Most.

The acquisitions include a five-year conservation restriction on 192 acres in Saugerties owned by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and the purchase of 3.6 acres along Black Creek in the Town of Esopus.

The Saugerties property includes over one mile of Hudson riverfront, a stream, meadows, wetlands and hardwood forest, as well as vistas of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.

The Sisters have also agreed to allow public access on a portion of the land. Scenic Hudson park planners are partnering with the Sisters and Esopus Creek Conservancy on a concept plan to augment an existing riverside trail system while protecting the Sisters’ privacy. New trails will be constructed and maintained by Scenic Hudson and ECC. The plan eventually will be shared with the community. Until the trails are completed, the property will remain closed to the public.

The Esopus property is surrounded by 976 acres previously conserved along this important Hudson River tributary by Scenic Hudson and the John Burroughs Sanctuary. All of these lands are located within the Plutarch-Black Creek Wetlands Complex, a high-priority conservation target of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Road access to the newly acquired property will allow expanded access to these preserved lands.