The Adirondack chapter of the Nature Conservancy has purchased 753 acres with a two-mile stretch of the Main Branch of the Moose River on the western edge of the Adirondack Park.

The conservancy bought the property for $880,000 and intends to sell it to a buyer who will protect it.

The two miles of river are part of a 13-mile stretch of whitewater that is rafted in the spring. “It’s nice to know that this section of the Moose River will be preserved in its wild state,” said Garry Staab, a rafting guide and owner of Adirondack River Outfitters.

In a news release, the conservancy said the parcel will preserve the river’s forested shoreline and help protect a wildlife corridor between the Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondacks. The property has a variety of habitats, including wetlands and hardwood forests.

“The Moose River with its intact shoreline, free-flowing water, and mosaic of habitats stands out as highly resilient to climate change, not just in the Adirondacks, but in the entire northeastern United States,” said Dirk Bryant, the chapter’s director of conservation programs.

Connie Prickett, the chapter’s spokeswoman, said the conservancy will be talking to stakeholders and potential buyers, including the state. The property lies just inside the Adirondack Park in Lyonsdale and borders a parcel of state-owned Forest Preserve.

Prickett said the Moose River property is leased for recreation and not open to the public.

The Moose flows into the Black River just west of the Park’s boundary. The Black River flows northwest to Lake Ontario.

Photo of Moose River by Carl Heilman II.