Organizational Timeline
Saratoga PLAN
Saratoga PLAN partnered with Saratoga Apple for a one-of-a-kind race. Participants ran up and down the hilly Schuylerville orchards and weaved through hundreds of blooming apple trees, earning a cider for crossing the finish line. The event got the community together for a unique outdoor activity and raised awareness for supporting local agriculture and efforts by Saratoga PLAN.
Conservation Heroes are individuals or entities recognized for their extraordinary efforts related to conservation.
This year’s efforts ranged from dedicated volunteer service to permanently conserving farmland, woodland, wildlife habitat, or creating public access to outdoor spaces.
In the Town of Malta, 129 acres of land owned and operated by Dave Bowman of Malta Ridge Orchard and Gardens were protected. This farm has a long standing agricultural history for the community and has a thriving future with the farm’s u-pick, and farm store filled with naturally grown vegetables and fruits remaining an active part of the community.
Saratoga PLAN, in collaboration with Rick Burke and The Nature Conservancy, signed into agreement the Burke Forest Conservation Project. The conservation easement permanently conserved just over 80 acres of forest habitat in the Town of Saratoga, on what is locally known as Irish Hill.
The gift from Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund is the largest private cash gift ever made to the 17-year old conservation organization. The donation will underwrite the planning, design and stewardship of more than 20 miles of publicly accessible, permanently conserved trails in the 40,500-acre Southern Palmertown Range.
On Monday, November 23, 2020 Saratoga PLAN conserved the Drumm Farm, 170 acres of farmland in the Town of Saratoga. The land is now permanently protected from development and will forever be accessible for agricultural use. Partial funding for the project was provided by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Read More
Saratoga PLAN has permanently protected 174 acres of the Hanehan Family Dairy in the Town of Saratoga. The conservation of this fertile farmland means it will be forever available for farming and is protected from conversion to non-farm uses. Read More.
Northumberland, NY – Saratoga PLAN has permanently protected the Bolesh Farm, 51 acres of open agricultural fields, woodlands, and vegetative buffer lining the Snook Kill in the Town of Northumberland. The conservation of this fertile land means it will be forever available for farming and is protected from conversion to non-farm uses. Read More
In 1986, Patricia LeClair and her husband built a house on nine acres of land in Corinth that they bought from neighbors, Jack Curtis and Mary Curtis. Jack, Mary’s brother, was an old friend of Patricia’s husband. Over the years, Mary and Patricia became close and Patricia frequently walked in the woods that spread across both the LeClair and Curtis’ properties. After Jack and Mary passed away, the Curtis’ property was left to the LeClair family. Read More
Saratoga PLAN completed two conservation easements with the Pott and VanVorsts families permanently protecting 126 acres of farmland in the Saratoga County Town of Ballston. Conservation of this fertile farmland means it will be forever available for farming and critical wildlife habitat for generations to come.
Both easements include and originally part of the Brookdale Farm, which originated circa 1835 by the McKnight family, a relative of the Potts by marriage four generations prior. Read More