The property, called the Leonard parcel, is located in the southern portion of the Neversink River area. The deal will increase state-owned land in the Neversink River Unique Area to 7,160 acres and add another two miles of riverfront property.

In 1980, the New York State Nature and Historical Preserve Trust Board authorized the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to acquire Neversink wilderness properties in Sullivan County for designation as a unique area, to "unify under state ownership lands of natural beauty; wilderness character; and geological, ecological and historical significance," DEC officials say. Formal designation of the Neversink area was handed down in 1988.

The deal does not require legislative approval, according to a DEC spokesman. The Neversink River Unique Area Unit Management Plan, approved in November 1996, recommended that the state attempt to acquire the Leonard parcel.