Courtesy Saratoga PLAN
Saratoga PLAN recently received its largest private cash gift ever—$500,000 from the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund for producing the Friendship Trails System.
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, an ecologically important area that stretches north from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs to the Hudson River, and is bordered by routes 9 and 9N, on the east and west, respectively.
Saratoga PLAN aims to design Friendship Trails that will provide enjoyment through an inclusive spectrum of outdoor activities: walking, running, wheelchairing, dog-walking, mountain-biking, horseback-riding, bird-watching, botanizing, forest-bathing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and learning about nature and local history.
The group will announce new trail segments as they open to the public over the next several years, beginning in late 2020 if public health restrictions are lifted.
“The Palmertown Range forms the southeastern-most corner of the Adirondacks. The undeveloped acreage of this semi-wild woodland provides climate-resilient habitat, replenishes streams and lakes, our source of clean drinking water, and fosters a sustainable forestry and tourism industry,” said Maria Trabka, executive director of Saratoga PLAN. “Fast-growing local populations and visitors to the area will be able to enjoy a permanently conserved wilderness experience within easy access of their homes and lodgings.”
Kim Elliman, president and CEO of the Open Space Institute (OSI) said the grant “will support the development of a recreational trail network within Saratoga County that will provide people with a place to enjoy nature and wildlife while also creating a vital protected corridor for wildlife habitat and movement. The trail system has been recognized as a top priority by business owners, partners, and outdoor recreation interest groups, and this funding will help make that goal a reality,.”
OSI has been collaborating with Saratoga PLAN on projects in the Palmertown Range for several years.
Anthony J. (Tony) Izzo, one of three donor-advisors to the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund, which is administered through the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, said the impetus for the gift came from Sarah Blackwell Foulke, a Skidmore graduate and an attorney who practiced in Saratoga County, and “was a kind, giving, compassionate and courageous woman with an outgoing personality, strong spirit, and a great heart and soul. She sought respite and restoration in the woods, enjoying the company of her friends and four-legged companions. The Sarah B. Foulke Friendship Trails project embodies Sarah’s enduring love of Saratoga Springs, nature, dogs, horses, and the power of friendship … We hope that our donation will inspire others to donate their time and money to Saratoga PLAN projects for the benefit of present and future generations of Saratoga County residents and visitors.”
Seven municipalities, two state agencies, two conservation organizations and one educational institution make up the Southern Palmertown Guidance Committee. They have strategized since late 2019 on how to enhance conservation, recreation, and compatible economic development in the Southern Palmertown Range.
The committee identified the need for a master trails plan as a necessary next step and its top goal for 2020. The committee will soon release a Request for Proposals in order to select a trail planning firm to create a master plan and trail design standards for the Sarah B. Foulke Friendship Trails. Saratoga PLAN will contract trail designers to ensure that the trails both fit in with the master plan and align with the vision of landowners who have agreed to share their land with the public.
Officials said the master plan will create design standards for public access points, orientation kiosks, designated parking areas, trail markers, and trail surfacing materials for different terrain and uses. Volunteers, organized by Saratoga PLAN, will play a role in helping designers by scouting and ground-truthing site features. Nearby amenities for trail users such as lodging, food, gas, bike rentals, and attractions will be promoted through the project which is expected to provide an economic boon to the area in a respectful way that preserves the natural integrity of its forest community.
Saratoga PLAN will set aside a portion of the gift to ensure continuation of the Sarah B. Foulke Friendship Trails. Once the master trail plan and site-specific designs have been completed, Saratoga PLAN and the Palmertown partners will work together to seek additional funds to acquire easements for the trails, surrounding woodlands, and for trail construction and maintenance.