News and Events

 

BOG MEADOW TRAIL UPDATE ........  Thanks to scouts from Troops 11, 70 and 5, the Bog Meadow Trail sign is fixed, the trail is dry and open for business.
Thanks guys, for getting muddy with us!

 

 

Saratoga PLAN's Summer Interns

Paddling Fish Creek on July 27, 2011

(Left to Right)

Laura Rose Dailey (Tour de Farm coordinator, Education and Outreach), Danielle Seeley (Feeder Canal Alliance trailside policy), Christopher Stevens (Community Planning - Green Infrastructure), Christopher Ferraro (GIS mapping of Saratoga County trails)  What a great group of people - its been a pleasure working with you all!

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Tour de Farm Bike-A-Thon 2011 was a great success. 

Over 225 riders helped to raise over $8,000 for land conservation

 

Major funding provided by

Hudson River Valley Greenway

Additional funding from

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

The Chazen Companies

 

Many thanks to our supporters

Hand Melon Farm, Spoonful Catering, Stone Industries, Battelkill Brittle, Brown's Brewing, Butler Farm Natural Beef, The Ice Cream Man, EBI Beverage, Winney's Blueberries and 9 Miles East Farm.

 

and special thanks to the riders, volunteers, and the hard-working Interns who pulled it all together:

Laura Rose Dailey (Saratoga PLAN), Patrick Klimaszewski (ASA)

and Jacky Thomson (Saratoga National Historical Battlefield)

Photos courtesy of Stuart Kaufman

 

	Important Information on Ticks and Lyme Disease  http://www.lymemd.org/Prevention.htm
TICK SEASON Walk in the middle of paths. Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be easily seen, and brush them off. Tuck pants into boots or socks. Promptly check yourself, others, and pets if exposed to tick areas. Remove attached ticks promptly

 

 

Click to view our Spring 2011 Newsletter

 

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Feast of the Fields 2010 was a resounding success. 

Thanks to all the great volunteers, farmers, chefs, sponsors, auction donors,

and supporters who made it happen. 

Click here for pictures

Thank you to all volunteers who made Saratoga P.L.A.N.’s recent Manning Cove Preserve project a success…   Eagle Scout George Kaplan and a team of 10 volunteers built a 10’x 5’ floating dock with expert design help from Steve McCorkell of OPRHP. During the Saturday “work party” a Bald Eagle landed in a tree just across Manning Cove Rd. to supervise the Eagle Scout project. Walter Supley designed and printed signage for the Preserve, and graciously allowed his property to become work-party headquarters. The Saratoga Lake Association provided general project support, funding and volunteers. The Thursday Naturalists performed a botanical survey to inform the upcoming management plan. Many community members answered the call to contribute ideas to the management plan.   So what is next? Saratoga P.L.A.N. will continue to work on the “blue trail” and “cold-season” upland trails, carefully balancing recreational opportunity with ecological preservation. In winter 2010 Saratoga P.L.A.N. will be laying out ski, snowshoe and hiking trails through the Preserve. Please let us know if you would like to help. E-mail   Thanks again to all.                                                                     - Andy Fyfe, Stewardship & Education Coordinator

America's Great Outdoors 

• This past April at the White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors.

www.doi.gov

Do you know Didymo?

"Rock Snot" found in Kayderosseras  Please click on links to learn about preventing the spread of this invasive species

Saratoga P.L.A.N Accepts title to 614 acres of the Hennig Preserve in the Town of Providence! On August 23rd, Saratoga P.L.A.N. accepted a gift of a six hundred and fourteen acre property in the Town of Providence.  The property is entirely forested and is located on Centerline Road.  Bob Hennig and Penny Steffen and Barbara Hennig lovingly cared for this property for over 50 years, and have now entrusted its care to Saratoga PLAN.    “We are pleased that Saratoga PLAN has agreed to accept the donation of our land and will care for its stewardship in coming years.  This will ensure that a large tract of land in the town of Providence will be preserved” said Bob Hennig.   Saratoga P.L.A.N. will manage the property as a natural area for native forest and wetland flora and fauna. Eventually, this property will be open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking and walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and nature study.  A very restrictive conservation easement placed earlier on the property, as well as on 140 additional adjacent acres, prevents all other uses. Over the next year, P.L.A.N. Stewardship Director Andy Fyfe and volunteers will be scouting out the best trail locations and trailheads, integrating 476 acres of contiguous county forest land into the trail network.          Bob Hennig walks the land with Andy Fyfe, Stewardship & Education Coordinator for Saratoga P.L.A.N. “PLAN is honored that the Hennigs have asked us to become stewards of their land. This is the largest preserve that PLAN has ever managed and is a milestone for land conservation in Saratoga County. It is exciting to think that a 1,100-acre block of unfragmented forest will eventually be open for the public’s enjoyment. And the land has been so well cared for – the Hennigs were active stewards who walked the land regularly and knew every special patch of native flora. Their caretaking will be missed but PLAN will try and live up to their standards” said Maria Trabka, Executive Director.   When asked about the Preserve Barbara Hennig said “During the years that we were adding to the Preserve, I kept telling people that I was saving land for "the little people of the forest."  Today, if you're a good hiker, you can experience the same solitude deep back on the property (which is less than 20 miles from downtown Saratoga Springs) that a drive up into the Adirondacks gives you.  And, yes, you can get lost.” A grant from the Dockstader Charitable Trust covered the transaction and initial stewardship start-up costs associated with accepting the property. “We were delighted to be involved in such a worthy project” said Dusty Rhodes of the Dockstader Charitable Trust. Stewardship endowment funding of $45,000 was raised privately to ensure that Saratoga P.L.A.N. will be able to care for the land in perpetuity. Barbara Hennig   Saratoga P.L.A.N. acknowledges the generosity and conservation ethic of Bob Hennig and Penny Steffen and Barbara Hennig, who are voluntarily protecting their land. Such land conservation is a lasting legacy, a testament to their commitment to the land, and an outstanding gift to the community. They will be honored along with two other property owners who protected their land this year as Conservation Heroes at P.L.A.N.’s annual benefit Feast of the Fields to be held September 23rd at Saratoga National Golf Club.   Press Release:  Easement to Preserve Wilton Farmland   Guardian for Green Space  Saratogian 4/28/10

Shenendehowa Students Design T-Shirt for P.L.A.N. - Winning Design Selected.

Andy Fyfe of Saratoga PLAN congratulates

Victoria Tepedino on her winning design,

which will be available for sale in the coming

months - Stay Tuned!

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Saratoga P.L.A.N. Selects its Board of Directors, Welcomes New Staff

(click for link)

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      Fall 2009 Newsletter (click for content)

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Community Invited to Inform the Management Plan for Manning Cove Preserve

Saratoga P.L.A.N. (preserving land and nature) announced today their desire for community input into management of the 159-acre Manning Cove Preserve.

Manning Cove Preserve is one of the largest undeveloped properties along Saratoga Lake, including 2,000 feet along the northwest shoreline of the lake.  The preserve’s unique wetlands and forests provide critical habitat for waterfowl, fish and other wildlife and also helps safeguard water quality in Saratoga Lake. Saratoga P.L.A.N. intends to develop a “blue-trail” for canoe and kayak access with interpretive signage along the shore this spring and summer, said Andy Fyfe of Saratoga P.L.A.N. who is managing the Manning Cove project, “We hope the local community will communicate their desires for the Preserve; we want this special place to be a reflection of the recreational and educational desires of local residents who enjoy the lake.” Anyone wishing to weigh in on the management plan, help with developing the trail, or with maintaining the Preserve can contact Fyfe at the email address listed below.

Saratoga P.L.A.N. acquired the Manning Cove Preserve in late 2007, thanks to a generous donation by John Witt of Witt Construction.  Although most of the site is wetlands and is best accessed by kayak from the lake, a snowshoe trail for winter access when the ground is frozen may also be possible. Since the Preserve is just south of where the Kayaderosseras Creek empties into the Lake, paddlers may also choose to rest on the shoreline beach. Other topics in question are whether motorized boats should be allowed to anchor, and how to maintain the trail and beach.

Have an opinion? Email: andy@saratogaplan.org, visit us on facebook, or call

(518) 587-5554 x3. All comments are due by 4/15/2010.

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Fifth Year of Charity from Reilly Salary Fund (link to Troy Record article February 18, 2010)

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Please check this page often for our latest new releases and event dates.

View our news release archive to see what has been happening at Saratoga P.L.A.N.