SOUTHERN PALMERTOWN CONSERVATION & RECREATION STRATEGY OCTOBER 2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ORGANIZATIONS PROTECTING THE SOUTHERN PALMERTOWN REGION • Open Space Institute • Town of Moreau • Saratoga PLAN • Town of Greenfield • New York State Office of Parks, • Adirondack Mountain Club Recreation, and Historic Preservation • Audubon Society • New York State Department of • Friends of Moreau Lake State Park Environmental Conservation • Saratoga Backcountry Horsemen’s • City of Saratoga Springs Association • Town of Wilton • Saratoga Mountain Bike Club • Town of Corinth OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE SARATOGA PLAN The Open Space Institute (OSI) protects scenic, Saratoga PLAN is dedicated to preserving the natural, and historic landscapes to provide rural character, natural habitats, and scenic beauty public enjoyment, conserve habitat and working of Saratoga County so that these irreplaceable lands, and sustain communities. Founded in assets are accessible to all and survive for 1974 to protect significant landscapes in New future generations. Saratoga PLAN helps York State, OSI is a leader in environmental communities create plans that balance growth conservation, having partnered in the protection with conservation to sustain the Saratoga Region of nearly 2.2 million acres in North America, from as a great place to live, work, visit and farm. Since Alabama up the spine of the Appalachians to formation in 2003, Saratoga PLAN has conserved southeastern Canada. more than 7,000 acres of land to date. SOUTHERN PALMERTOWN CONSERVATION & RECREATION STRATEGY The Southern Palmertown Conservation & partnership with the State Department of Recreation Strategy was completed in 2018 Environmental Conservation. Additional support by Alta Planning + Design and Bernuth & was provided by the Cloudsplitter Foundation. Williamson, for OSI and Saratoga PLAN. For more information about conservation in Funding for this project came from the New the area, please visit www.saratogaplan.org/ York State Conservation Partnership Program explore/public-preserves-trails/palmertown- administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in conservation-area/ TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................... i Ch. 1: Existing Conditions .................... 1 Ch. 3: Opportunities ........................... 47 Study Area ...................................................................2 Conservation Priority Analysis .................................48 Regional Context ........................................................4 Recreation Demand Analysis ...................................56 Existing Land Uses ......................................................6 Case Studies .............................................................64 Natural Resources .......................................................8 Forest-Based Economic Activities ...........................80 Conservation Priorities .............................................12 Groundwater Recharge ............................................16 Ch. 4: Land Use Scenarios .................. 83 Terrestrial Resilience .................................................18 Land Use Scenario Planning ....................................84 Agricultural Lands & Potential Working Forests ....20 Scenario 1: Suburban Sprawl Growth Pattern ........86 Recreational Resources ............................................22 Scenario 2: Conservation/Development Balance ..90 Transportation Infrastructure ...................................28 Scenario 3: Strong Conservation Emphasis ............94 Conservation Land Ownership ................................30 Land Use Scenario Summary ...................................98 Historical/Cultural Resources...................................32 Key Destinations .......................................................34 Ch. 5: Making the Connection ......... 103 Introduction .............................................................104 Ch. 2: Public Engagement .................. 37 Southern Palmertown Guidance Committee .......105 Public Workshop .......................................................38 Conservation Recommendations ..........................106 Survey ........................................................................40 Recreation Recommendations ..............................112 Stakeholder Interviews .............................................42 Economic Recommendations ................................120 Summary ....................................................................44 Next Steps ...............................................................126 The Southern Palmertown Area has the potential to link communities through thoughtful use of a connected landscape with over 7,000 acres of currently protected lands. This area, in the northern part of Saratoga County, is an important ecological linkage between the Adirondack Park, Lake George, the Taconic and Green Mountains of Vermont, the Capital Region, and the Hudson River Valley. The vision of this plan provides recommendations for conservation, recreation, and sustainable economic development. Key features include recommended conservation lands, a trail through the study area from Moreau Lake State Park to Daniels Road State Forest, with connections to the communities, businesses and managed landscapes in Corinth, Moreau, Greenfield, Saratoga Springs, and Wilton. Moreau Lake State Park EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Southern Palmertown Range is an ecologically intact landscape with extensive, unfragmented, diverse forests and wetlands. Furthermore, the area is in close proximity to growing population centers in Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, and Wilton. This plan suggests steps that can be taken by local communities working together with thoughtful, cooperative planning and action that will result in retention of the landscape, its environmental services, and natural resources while simultaneously stimulating compatible economic development activities. As a first step, a Guidance Committee composed of representatives from local municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses should be established to oversee collaborative implementation of the recommendations contained in this Plan. 9 The Southern Palmertown area is located in LAKE GEORGE 87 Saratoga County and is bounded to the north ADIRONDACK PARK W LAKE A S Y H GEORGE T I N N U G by the Hudson River, to the east by Route 9, O T O DUNHAM C N PROSPECT BAY MARSH N E C MOUNTAIN R O R U A N 149 W T to the west by Route 9N, and to the south by Y 9N 149 Y S T A R NA UT O O CG N A E C RRO A U W N T Route 50 and Route 9N in Saratoga Springs. Y 87 4 This area contains a diversity of ecological and 9L 9N GLENS recreational resources, and its adjacency to FALLS the Capital District and major transportation ADIRONDACK PARK 9 FORT 197 40 infrastructure makes it an attractive area for CORINTH EDWARD 4 MOREAU LAKE SACANDAGA STATE PARK LAKE future development. 87 LINCOLN MTN The Executive Summary describes the various FOREST 50 9 WILTON WILDLIFE 40 PRESERVE chapters, analyses, and information included 4 50 in this document. While important information ADIRONDACK PARK 9N 29 29 W A Y S and findings are highlighted in this section, 29 T H N I N U SARATOGA COUNTY G SARATOGA O 87 T 29 C O SPRINGS A N 40 G 32 C O SARATOGA SPA O more detailed background information, T STATE PARK A U R N A T S Y methodologies, results, and recommendations COUNTY FULTON SARATOGA LAKE SARATOGA 9 NATIONAL HISTORICAL can be found throughout Chapters 1 through 5. PARK 50 REGIONAL AREA CONTEXT 40 Y S FOCAL STUDY AREA T A WASHINGTON COUNTY N R A COUNTY RENSSELAER U T O O C G Y A D C REGIONAL STUDY AREA A O T C U E N N T E Y H C Miles S 87 0 1.25 2.5 5 50 SOUTHERN PALMERTOWN CONSERVATION & RECREATION STRATEGY / i EXISTING PUBLIC CONDITIONS ENGAGEMENT The Existing Conditions Chapter provides The project team used three strategies to gather a comprehensive look at the features within input from the public: a public workshop, written Southern Palmertown. This includes text and surveys, and stakeholder interviews. maps related to existing land uses, natural Public Workshop: A public workshop was held resources, conservation priorities, groundwater on December 13th, 2017 to present existing recharge, terrestrial resilience, agricultural lands conditions information and solicit feedback and working forests, recreational resources, about existing facilities and future opportunities transportation infrastructure, conservation in Southern Palmertown. There were 34 people lands, historical and cultural resources, and key in attendance who contributed to the consensus destinations. These existing conditions features of the following goals: are used throughout the report for various analyses and were considered when making • Conserve habitat because Southern recommendations for conservation, recreation, Palmertown is a critical area for wildlife. and economic development. • Preserve open space and small compatible economic uses within the study area. ADIRONDACK PARK A HUDSON RIVER d n a Ro t tn 87 o M lls QUEENSBURY n d Fa e oa s R en M rris Gl t a n H R o RALPH RD HADLEY a d STATE FOREST d 9N a • Concentrate intensive commercial/ o R h lp a ad R Ro ER h N RIV int SO or UD Y C H T W residential uses outside of the study area N A U R LAKE LUZERNE 10 O R E C ad Ro N Butler A C G O O U ll and limit sprawl and large developments. a S T C tr d eet oa N A R h R 9 T t n A i Y r S Co ad o SHERMAN R H MOREAU a U g D to S ISLAND ra O a VILLAGE OF N S R CORINTH IV 10 E • Preserve Native American heritage and 24