Organizational Timeline

Saratoga PLAN

2003
Merger results in the birth of Saratoga PLAN
Merger results in the birth of Saratoga PLAN

Saratoga PLAN was formed in 2003 through a merger of the Saratoga Springs Open Space Project and the Land Trust of the Saratoga Region.

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2004
Morack Farm
Morack Farm

The conservation of Morack Farm was PLAN’s first easement in Charlton. The 24.70 acre property consists of forested ecosystems and agricultural fields and also contains a section of Alplaus Kill.

Spruce Mountain
Spruce Mountain

A 100-acre parcel on the side of Spruce Mountain is purchased by PLAN to help protect public access to the hiking trail leading up to the historic fire tower on the summit. This project was undertaken in partnership with members of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the generosity of many private donors. The parcel falls within the Adirondack Park.

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Old Saratoga on the Hudson
Old Saratoga on the Hudson

Old Saratoga on the Hudson is a community based inter-municipal effort to develop a “Park” that connects a remarkable concentration of historical, scenic, natural, and recreational resources. The Hudson River is the connecting link among these resources in eastern Saratoga County and western Washington County. The geographic area that makes up Old Saratoga on the Hudson takes in some of the most beautiful, geologically important, and historically significant landscapes in our region. Old Saratoga on the Hudson is a natural complement to Saratoga PLAN’s mission of protecting our region’s scenic, natural, agricultural, and recreational resources.

2005
Feast of the Fields
Feast of the Fields

This annual fundraiser features a magical evening of delicious, fresh foods by local chefs using ingredients from area farms and producers. For the benefit of furthering conservation efforts in Saratoga County.

Galway Preserve
Galway Preserve

The Galway Preserve is a 50-acre property that was willed to Saratoga PLAN in 1996 by Marshall Desroches, and was transferred to PLAN as a preserve in 2005. The Preserve boasts ponds, a stream, several trails designed by Marshall Desroches and a somewhat naturalized evergreen plantation. The land was used for agriculture until the early 1950s, when the Desroches family started a Christmas tree farm on the property as the remnant stands of pines and firs suggest.

Ballston Creek Preserve established and conservation easement placed on Peterson Property
Ballston Creek Preserve established and conservation easement placed on Peterson Property

The 33-acre Ballston Creek Preserve contains one mile of rugged, marked looping trails, and lies close to the nearby Zim Smith Trail. It is known for its views of Great Blue Heron rookery.

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The Milton Preserve property is donated to Saratoga PLAN by Maryanna K. Milton
The Milton Preserve property is donated to Saratoga PLAN by Maryanna K. Milton

This preserve is primarily forested with Eastern white pine and American beech, and contains wetlands on portions of the property.

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Reilly Ridge Farm Conserved
Reilly Ridge Farm Conserved

PLAN’s first conservation easement in Halfmoon. This property is an active farm, and has been farmed by the Reilly family since 1909.

2006
Saratoga County Green Infrastructure Plan
Saratoga County Green Infrastructure Plan

PLAN played a key role in bringing the need for a comprehensive Countywide planning effort to Saratoga County’s attention, with sustainability at the forefront. PLAN succeeded in effectively putting forth the desired components to be included in such an effort.
Green infrastructure is the deliberate creation of an interconnected system of natural lands, parks, waterways, and open spaces that can sustain Saratoga County’s environmental health, economy, and quality of life.