STILLWATER, NY, December 10, 2024 – Saratoga PLAN is thrilled to share the permanent protection of 280 acres of agricultural land in the Town of Stillwater through a conservation easement with the owner of Questroyal North Farm, Barry Ostrager. This legal agreement ensures that the land will remain farmland forever, supporting the local agricultural community.
Questroyal North is a full-service breeding and mare boarding operation. The farm is home to Bucchero, currently the leading sire in New York (owned by Iron Horse Stallions), as well as Galilean and Courageous Cat, a stallion with more than $10 million in progeny earnings.
Ostrager’s boarding operation (conducted by Chris Bernhard and Hidden Lake Farm) continues the land’s rich agricultural legacy. The farmland has been used continuously for agriculture for over 250 years. Originally part of General Philip Schuyler’s Saratoga Patent, it later became the property of his daughter, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the widow of Alexander Hamilton.
Questroyal North joins conserved farms in the area, including Zuzick, Hanehan, Ropitzky, and Cocozzo farms, creating over 1,000 acres of contiguous protected farmland. Together with the neighboring Saratoga Battlefield National Park, these protected areas encompass over 4,500 acres of conserved land.
Owner Ostrager shares, “Saratoga PLAN has spent the last decade assembling parcels in aggregate of 4,500 acres. Saratoga PLAN should be congratulated.”
Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) is a 501(c)3 non-profit land trust, focusing its conservation work in and around Saratoga County. Land trusts like Saratoga PLAN work closely with willing landowners, local municipalities, non-profits, and other partners to help:
- Protect air and water quality
- Conserve habitats for wildlife and plants
- Connect people to nature through free public access to local trails and preserves
- Protect working farms and ensure agricultural land remains accessible for future farmers
- Make communities more resilient to the effects of climate change
The conservation of Questroyal North Farm makes it the 32nd farm PLAN has protected since its founding in 2003. The project is part of a much larger effort to protect remaining farmland in Stillwater and Saratoga County, which has been highlighted as a priority in several local plans, including the Saratoga County Green Infrastructure Plan. The County Plan is a regional initiative to identify and safeguard valued community resources including “…natural systems such as streams, wetlands and watersheds; working landscapes such as farms and managed forests; recreational and trail opportunities such as multi-use trails and fishing access; and cultural resources such as scenic and historic corridors.”
“By permanently conserving Questroyal North Farm, we honor the rich agricultural history of the land, support the local farming economy, and connect the important landscapes that define our region.” said Robert Davies, Executive Director of Saratoga PLAN. “This is a powerful example of how working together at the community level can create lasting benefits for future generations and make a broader positive impact that doesn’t stop at a line on a map.”
Funding from New York State Agriculture and Markets and a generous contribution from the landowner supported the permanent conservation of this property.
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About Saratoga PLAN
Saratoga PLAN preserves the rural character, natural habitats, and scenic beauty of Saratoga County, ancestral homelands of the Mohican, Mohawk and Abenaki people, so that these irreplaceable assets are accessible to all and survive for future generations.
PLAN, which stands for 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.