A swath of land encompassing Whitney Park is seen from above. (Provided photo — Nancie Battaglia)

Gov. Kathy Hochul has expressed a desire to purchase the majority of acreage of Whitney Park, the 36,600-acre tract of vast forests and lakes in the Adirondacks.

Hochul wrote to the trustees of the estate of John Hendrickson, who died in 2024, about the future of the property Hendrickson left behind in Long Lake. The letter was also addressed to Todd Interests, the Texas development company that this spring secured the rights to buy Whitney Park from the estate.

In the letter, Hochul said her administration wants to work with the trustees to find a resolution that “preserves” the property and potentially add much of it to the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

She said she has a great interest in conserving open space, especially in the Adirondacks.

“As you know, my administration has been in conversation with Todd Interests, Inc. for several months about a number of potential conservation outcomes for Whitney Park, including entering into an agreement for the purchase of 32,000 acres of land by the state,” Hochul wrote to trustees Edward Hendrickson and Caroline Steuer on Oct. 10.

The note reads like a top-level appeal to help New York secure the acreage for the public and to help Todd Interests with building a resort on the remaining 4,600 acres that the state would not acquire.

It also reads as an appreciation for John Hendrickson’s conservation legacy and for the preservation work of his late wife Marylou Whitney as well as their philanthropy. In death, that spirit of giving is planned to continue as Hendrickson directed his trustees to turn over net proceeds from the sale of Whitney Park to the town of Long Lake.

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Is the state able to buy it?

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Todd Interests entered into a deal to buy the acreage shortly after the trustees listed it for sale at $125 million.

However, Shawn Todd, founder of Todd Interests, of Dallas, Texas, said his purchase contract came with a provision that the property could not be sold to the state. John Hendrickson had publicly discussed his distaste for the state to buy Whitney Park after it acquired some 15,000 acres from the larger tract in the 1990s. After that acreage was added to the forest preserve, native trout were eradicated by the introduction of bass into a lake of the property.

Todd has said a term he agreed to in his purchase deal–a perpetual deed restriction preventing state ownership of the land–is a problem he hopes to solve.

However, he said he has not been able to see such a specific provision from John Hendrickson in any documentation shared with him by the trustees.

In past interviews with the Adirondack Explorer, Edward Hendrickson has refused to discuss any deed restriction terms of the trust plan his brother had left for the trustees to follow.

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Debate around easements

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Todd said he has discussed conservation easements to protect 32,000 acres with the Adirondack Land Trust, but the state is the logical party with which to negotiate.

He said he has had many discussions with the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s leaders about ways to accomplish the state’s desire to conserve much of the Whitney Park property.

Protecting the majority of the acreage would ensure that Shawn Todd doesn’t develop more than needed to create the resort he envisions. Todd has described a resort with a golf course, restaurant, hotel and other lodging amenities such as a ski hill but clustered within a section of Whitney Park. He has also described a scenario where he instead subdivides the acreage to build multiple high-end residences.

Hochul’s letter suggests that the governor is stepping into the matter and trying to clearly show the state’s priority in making the acreage “forever wild” and available for public recreation, which she said can boost the local economy.

“As you consider the future of John’s estate and legacy, my hope is that together we can find a solution that preserves the property’s remarkable waterways, fisheries and forests and ensures the long-term stewardship of the property,” Hochul wrote. “I am determined to work with the estate to align New York’s conservation efforts with the goals and wishes of the estate.”

A person briefed on the letter said it is meant to reveal that the governor has shown a desire to add a great deal of Whitney Park land to the forest preserve.

It comes at a time when several environmental groups are urging Hochul to do just that while some have expressed disappointment that the state seemed to be working to simply purchase a conservation easement, which could limit or exclude public access.

“Such an outcome would fall far short of the public’s long-standing expectation to see a substantial portion of Whitney Park permanently protected as part of the public forest preserve,” wrote Claudia Braymer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, in a newspaper commentary.

The acreage has been listed in the state Open Space Conservation Plan since 1992. The property includes some 22 lakes and ponds and abounds in wetlands and more than 100 miles of undeveloped shoreline.

Shawn Todd also notes that it has substantial development value given its 90 miles or roads and timber rights.

Braymer calls on the state to use some of the funds from the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act or the $425 million Environmental Protection Fund to make “this landmark purchase.” Braymer said she doubts that deed restrictions exist and that there should be no legal impediment to state acquisition.

Edward Hendrickson, of Alaska, who John Hendrickson gave final say on handling of his trust, did not respond to interview requests.