Planning staff briefs committee on trail projects, timber harvest, fish stocking and ag-district additions

Jason Kemper of Saratoga County Planning and Economic Development provided the committee with a monthly summary of ongoing farmland, open-space and trails work at the committee's monthly meeting.

Kemper said the county is continuing environmental review work on the Zim Smith Trail with regular calls involving the Department of Transportation and FHA, and that staff are "moving that forward as quickly as we can." The committee was told staff also wrapped up an agricultural-district inclusion after receiving correspondence from New York State Ag and Markets accepting about 400 acres into the county agricultural district; staff will notify assessors and impacted municipalities so tax rolls can be updated.

On forest-management work, Kemper said the county is about 75% finished with a timber harvest in the town of Northumberland and offered to arrange a site visit for committee members. He said the county expects the parking lot at the harvest site to be restored when work is complete.

Kemper reported that fish stocking for the season is mostly complete: brook trout have been stocked, and remaining rainbow trout and larger species at second sites were scheduled to be stocked the week of May 16. He said local schools — Edinburg and Northville — will participate in a stocking day and that staff will notify supervisors about the event.

The committee discussed the Graphite Range Community Forest, where supervisors and volunteers have reported high user activity from both cyclists and pedestrians. Supervisor Grasso said volunteers and stewards are handling maintenance needs, but heavy rains prompted a short-term public messaging effort to discourage use until conditions improve. Kemper said the county and volunteers are not closing the forest but may post safety messaging and provide alternative sites during wet conditions.

Kemper described proposed maintenance and amenity additions at Graphite Range, including volunteer work on the parking lot and an Eagle Scout project to build benches along trails that could be installed this summer. He said the Northern Gateway parcel in the town of Greenfield is planned to receive a parking lot constructed by the town and trail work by volunteers, with long-term intent to annex the parcel into the county forest after construction; staff scheduled a meeting with Greenfield officials to discuss logistics and public process.

The county has purchased three eco-counters (two fixed, one portable) to measure trail usage; staff said the devices are the same type used by regional trail-count programs and will help start tracking visitor trends at Graphite Range and other sites this year.

Kemper also described an interjurisdictional connector initiative to study trail links between the Zim Smith Trail and trail networks in neighboring Schenectady County. He said a working group led by Metroplex and local supervisors completed a site tour and that Supervisor Conley submitted a trails grant application to fund a multi-municipality feasibility study.

Committee members asked for usage numbers and economic-development estimates; Kemper said existing steward reports show parking lots often full and that the new eco-counters will provide more precise counts in coming months.