PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. – Donald Trump is donating 436 bucolic acres in New York City's northern suburbs for a new state park that will be named for — you guessed it — Donald Trump.
The new Donald J. Trump State Park will comprise two separate areas along the Taconic State Parkway, near or abutting other parkland including the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Fahnestock state parks.
Trump and Gov. George Pataki announced the donation at a news conference Wednesday on one of the parcels, known as Indian Hill, which takes in 282 acres straddling the border of Westchester and Putnam counties, about 45 miles north of Manhattan. Indian Hill is a mix of deep woods, meadows and a wetland.
The second parcel, known as French Hill, takes in 154 acres in Westchester, entirely within the New York City Watershed. It is heavily wooded and has a 20-acre wetland.
"I have always loved the city and state of New York, and this is my way of trying to give something back," Trump said. "I hope that these 436 acres of property will turn into one of the most beautiful parks anywhere in the world."
Trump's donation protects "valuable open space and beautiful parklands in the Hudson Valley," Pataki said in an e-mail statement Wednesday morning.
The governor said the park "will increase public access to scenic landscapes and provide additional recreational opportunities."
Trump bought the properties in the 1990s for $2 million and had considered projects including golf courses and homes, although there was some local opposition.
Trump, 59, is a billionaire developer and the star of TV's "The Apprentice." His previous gifts include renovation of the Wollman skating rink in New York's Central Park.