SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., January 15, 2026 – 444 acres of wooded forestland within the Southern Palmertown Range in the towns of Wilton and Greenfield have been permanently protected, preserving a critical landscape at the intersection of rapidly expanding urban development and the Adirondack Park. The foresight and conservation commitment of landowners Joanne and Thomas Klepetar, working in partnership with Saratoga PLAN, ensured the forested property was protected from development pressures affecting surrounding areas.
“Being temporary stewards of this land has given us, along with our four children, the ability to roam it for the past four decades since acquiring the first parcel in 1988,” Joanne and Thomas Klepetar shared. “Our future hope is to work with PLAN to help develop trails for public access. The ability to conserve this acreage was made possible by the staff at Saratoga PLAN and particularly the patient persistence of Maria Trabka.”
Large, forested parcels of this size are increasingly rare in Saratoga County, New York’s second-fastest growing county. Unchecked development threatens both the quality of life for residents and the natural resources they need to live. Local nonprofit Saratoga PLAN acts as a resource to address this by working collaboratively with municipalities and private landowners to ensure the permanent protection of ecologically and culturally significant lands within the Saratoga region.
“Growth is an important and inevitable part of Saratoga County’s future, but how and where that growth happens matters,” said Robert Davies, Executive Director of Saratoga PLAN. “When we work together as a community and plan strategically, protecting places like this helps guide smart growth, build more resilient communities, and maintain the character of the region. Afterall, we don’t want to lose the very reason people want to live, work and play here.”
The recently conserved property is part of a much larger initiative led by Saratoga PLAN and other “Palmertown Partners”, like Open Space Institute and local and state governments, to protect remaining forestland in the Southern Palmertown Range area, a prioritized conservation area spanning 40,500 acres within the Southern Adirondack Foothills. The area provides a critical corridor for wildlife movement and the ability to adapt to changing climate conditions.
The vision for the Palmertown Range is to establish the area as a regional recreation destination that supports economic development while conserving critically important natural resources. The newly protected 444-acre property has the potential to play a connecting role in the future expansion of the Sarah B. Foulke Friendship Trails, an envisioned network of more than 50 miles of trails with a core trail running from Saratoga Spa State Park to Moreau Lake State Park. The network already includes the Graphite Range Community Forest, a recreational hub in the town of Wilton that opened to the public in late 2023, the 6,250-acre Moreau Lake State Park and Lincoln Mountain and Daniels Road state forests.
Collaboration among public and private partners with strong community support has been instrumental in conserving this important ecological corridor. The majority of funding for this project was provided through the New York State Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Program (FCELT) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. FCELT is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. This program funding is designed to preserve local forests that are essential to New York State’s environmental conservation goals and to the sequestration of climate-altering emissions.
In addition to the State FCELT grant, support came from the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors through the Farmland Protection and Open Space Preservation Grant Program, the Nature Conservancy’s Climate Resilience Grant Program, a substantial bargain sale by the landowner, donations from community members and private foundations.
Together, these investments reflect a shared commitment to conserving the Southern Palmertown Range as a resilient landscape that supports wildlife, recreation and the long-term health of surrounding communities.
About Saratoga PLAN
Saratoga PLAN stewards and protects farms, forests, and waters of the Saratoga region and the southern Adirondack foothills – now and forever.
Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) has helped conserve over 14,000 acres of land in Saratoga County. PLAN helps landowners conserve farmland, woodlands, and natural habitats, and connects people to nature through an extensive trail network, including 13 public nature preserves open for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and nature study. Saratoga PLAN helps communities create plans that balance growth with conservation to sustain the Saratoga Region as a great place to live, work, visit, play and farm. PLAN facilitates community-based conservation by partnering with municipalities to help them accomplish their community’s conservation goals.
For more information, call 518-587-5554, or visit www.saratogaplan.org.