DUMONT - Meyer Kukle, an avid hiker, conservationist and former executive of an outerwear company, died Thursday. He was 85.

Mr. Kukle was born in East Harlem and worked most of his life in the garment industry. He started at a button factory and by the time he retired in 1983, he was an account executive at Weather Tamer, a girls outerwear company.

A passionate environmentalist, Mr. Kukle was involved with the Palisade Interstate Park Commission and also had what he termed a "55-year love affair" the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Ten years ago, he dedicated 100 acres of his family's property in the Catskills to conservation through the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development. Preservation easements guarantee the land will always stay wild.

In the late 1990s, Mr. Kukle's passionate campaign to restore the Palisade Interstate Park helped move officials to improve the neglected park. When Mr. Kukle turned 80, he received an honorary certificate of appreciation from the park commission.

He spent a lot of time with his friends and family in his "retreat" - a mountaintop cabin in the Catskills. Sitting by the wood-burning oven, he would always treat guests to freshly prepared soup and converse passionately about world affairs, said his son, Richard.

He also volunteered as a conversation partner at The International Center in Manhattan, helping people learn English.

Besides Richard, Mr. Kukle is survived by his wife, Lenore; two other sons, David and Peter; a daughter, Susan, and five grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Meyer's Fund, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, P.O. Box 155, Alpine, N.J. 07260.