ALTAMONT — On Saturday, Dave Muska of Ondatra Adventures, led 10 or so intrepid participants, including children and elders, on a treasure hunt of sorts through the newly opened Bozen Kill Preserve.

From historic railroad beds to waterfalls and through farmlands, six hikes will showcase Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy preserves beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 20, during the organization’s first ever Summer Solstice Hike-a-thon. The event will precede the Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail Summer Solstice Festival.

Margaret Craven Snowden called conservation easements along the Helderberg escarpments “a miracle,” allowing her to fulfill her decade-long dream of preserving her land. 

The E.N. Huyck Preserve and the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy both received grants funded through the Environmental Protection Fund as part of the governor's Conservation Partnership Program for non-profit land trusts.

Conservation easements on the property will limit the town's primary use to a few dozen acres among nearly 360. Town officials hope the land will be a source of jobs for residents and revenue to the town.

Last week, funds totaling $1.4 million were announced from a press conference at Indian Ladder Farms. Sixty-eight different grants were given to land trusts across the state, with two local organizations receiving funds.