By Denise Richardson
 

Staff Writer
 

MILFORD — Robert V. Riddell of Colliersville wanted the woods, fields and meandering Schenevus Creek on his property to be preserved and accessible for generations to come.
 

Patricia Riddell Kent of Oneonta said Sunday that she was delighted and honored that her late father’s wish had come true and that the state agreed to turn the 1,036 acres in the towns of Milford and Maryland into a park.
 

"This is great," she said Saturday after seeing bold letters on a sign designating "Robert V. Riddell State Park."
 

More than 100 people, including family friends, neighbors, state officials and politicians, gathered in Milford off of state Route 28 on Saturday to hear Gov. George Pataki announce the opening of the state park and the pending acquisitions of two other properties in Otsego County.
 

The acquisitions, totaling more than 2,500 acres, will create recreational opportunities, protect water quality and natural resources and promote sustainable forestry in the county, state officials said.
 

Pataki was joined by legislators and representatives from agencies, including Denise M. Sheehan, acting commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
 

"This is truly is a historic day for Otsego County," Sheehan said, standing before acres of fields trimmed by a tree-lined horizon.
The state also has agree to pay $1,073,500 for 1,130 acres that will become the General Jacob Morris State Forest in the town of Morris, according to a news release, and the state will acquire 392 acres in the town of Plainfield from the Open Space Institute, which paid $502,250 for the parcel.

"This is just a wonderful day," said Pataki, after thanking the Kents for the tremendous gift and acknowledging work by state agencies and Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, for making the Riddell State Park a reality.

    The Riddell State Park straddles Interstate 88, with 838 acres on the south side containing forested woodlands. The Schenevus Creek, a Class A trout stream, runs through the northern 198 acres before reaching the Susquehanna River to the west of the property.

Robert V. Riddell died in 2002. Patricia Riddell Kent and her husband, Steven Kent, said they were given the property but have donated it to the state.

    Riddell Kent said her father had seen commercial development along the Route 28 corridor and wanted to preserve the natural beauty of his property. As a park, it will be a nice, green area, she said.
Dominic Jacangelo, deputy commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said the Riddell State Park would be open this autumn for some activities, such as hiking. There aren’t many settings to match the mature forests and other characteristics of the local property, he said.
    "This is really an incredible resource," Jacangelo said Saturday after the ceremony. Plans will be developed for camping and other recreational uses, he said.

    A road into the park is about 100 yards from exit 17 of Interstate 88. Though Otsego County officials have talked about opening a welcome center near the exit, that project has no connection to the Riddell State Park project and would be on a separate parcel, Milford town Supervisor Thomas Gale said.

    The Riddell park is the 22nd state park to be opened by Pataki since 1995, state officials said, and almost 920,000 acres of open land statewide have been preserved since that year.
"We’re here to build on the Pataki policy of stewardship," Seward told the crowd standing under intense sunshine Saturday. And the donated property shows the Riddell family’s commitment to the environment, their community spirit and generosity, he said.

"While the land was very attractive for development, and Bob Riddell could have sold it, he chose to maintain a lasting memorial to their family that will benefit generations to come," Seward said. "I commend and thank Trish Riddell Kent and Steve Kent for carrying out their father’s wishes.
 

"This is a great investment in our future," Seward said.
 

Pataki said the property was "priceless," given its location.
 

At her turn to address the gathering, Patricia Riddell Kent had a list to be sure she thanked everyone who helped secure her father’s dream, and then she thanked her dad,
 

"We all feel our father’s presence here today," she said. "Dad, we love you very much."