East Greenbush Follows Papscanee to the Hudson

Papscanee Island Nature Preserve gives East Greenbush and Schodack more than two miles of public shoreline along the Hudson River.

The land carries a deeper history than a trail map alone can show. Papscanee is important to the Mohican Nation, and ownership returned to the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians in 2021. Rensselaer County maintains the trails, including about three miles of walking through riverside forest.

There is an everyday side to the preserve too. People come for walking, birdwatching, fishing, snowshoeing, and quiet time near the river. Those uses share the shoreline with wetlands, habitat, and a history that asks for care rather than casual possession.

For East Greenbush, Papscanee brings scenery, homeland, stewardship, and public access into the same frame. The preserve is large enough to change how the town meets the Hudson, yet specific enough to keep that relationship tied to trails, forest, and the people whose history is rooted there.