GARDINER - Environmentalists are negotiating to buy a prominent piece of Hudson Valley ridge land that was at the center of a recent development battle.

The Trust for Public Land hopes to close on a $17 million bid to buy a 2,500 acre parcel on the Shawangunk Ridge. The owners of the so-called Awosting Reserve, who hoped to build a high-end development, put the land up for sale after internal legal squabbles.

There were a number of bids for the land - listed at $35 million - but trust project manager Philip Nicholas said the bid placed by his group and the Open Space Institute was selected as the most feasible. He hoped to agree on a contract with a court-appointed trustee within weeks.

"If we don't secure this property, then it will be developed," Nicholas said.

The Shawangunk Ridge runs about 50 miles from near the Hudson River in Ulster County into New Jersey. Its sheer cliffs make it a favorite spot for rock climbers, who clamber up in droves on fair-weather weekends.

Large stretches of the ridge - known as the 'Gunks - are preserved, such as the areas in Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve in Ulster.

The Awosting Reserve land is between those two protected parcels.

A furor arose a few years ago after Awosting Reserve LLC general partner John Atwater Bradley sought permission to clear space for 349 homes and a golf course. Local residents fearful of construction on the prominent natural landmark quickly organized opposition and "Save the Ridge" signs cropped up on countless lawns.

Bradley eventually ended up not only with local opposition, but disagreements with the company chosen to develop the site, Chaffin/Light Associates. Bradley fired the firm last year. Chaffin/Light sued Bradley and won. A judge in Delaware ordered the sale.

Nicholas said there are up to six other offers, but theirs was selected as the best, in part because there were no contingencies and the deal could be closed quickly.

They are negotiating with the trustee.

If the bid is accepted, the preservation groups plan to sell the land to the state.

New York could use money from its Environmental Protection Fund to expand the borders of Minnewaska, state parks spokeswoman Wendy Gibson said.