Saratoga County committee reviews grants, timber plans and pushes countywide trails map

The Saratoga County Trails and Open Space Committee on May 5 approved its March 3 minutes and heard staff updates on grant reimbursements, timber-management plans and trail-usage monitoring before taking public input on a countywide trails map.

Jason Kemper, introduced in the meeting as director of planning, told the committee the agricultural-district inclusion process for the 2025–2026 cycle is complete after the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets included listed properties in Agricultural Districts 1 and 2 and the county notified town assessors and the office of real property. “So that process is complete,” Kemper said.

Kemper outlined the county’s open-space grant workload: staff are administering seven projects across multiple years and recently received three reimbursement submittals, including a 2021 Town of Malta project that now differs from its original application and will be returned to the committee for a decision on how to proceed. He said Clifton Park has closed its 2025 project and will soon submit a reimbursement request. Kemper added that some towns have revised internal environmental-assessment processes, which has delayed audits and reimbursements but that staff anticipate several project closings in 2026.

On funding, the committee discussed figures that appeared in budget and application documents. Kemper said the county budget shows $3.75 (figure as stated at the meeting) and the application materials reference $4.50; he emphasized that the committee will determine awards based on available reserve funds. The meeting record does not specify the units associated with those figures (for example, thousands or millions). Kemper also said $80,000 is budgeted for trails work.

Kemper described a timber-harvest planning process for a county forest parcel in the Town of Galloway that has not been harvested in more than 20 years. Foresters are marking trees and staff will take the harvest to bid; depending on the bid revenue the project could be run as a one- or two-year harvest. Kemper said the plan includes creating a small trailhead parking area and loop trails at the conclusion of the harvest to improve public access.

The committee heard an overview of county forest holdings and finance: Kemper said the county manages roughly 3,000 acres of county forest across 46 parcels acquired under county reforestation law section 219, and that rotational harvests are used to generate revenue to assist with school-tax payments. Staff estimated about $45,000 per year in timber-related revenue from county forest management.

Kemper also described two school-centered fish-stocking events (one on April 28 at Corinth Reservoir with about 80 students and a larger event scheduled May 8 that staff expected to draw about 200 students). He said the county funds the fish-stocking program and that the Department of Environmental Conservation issues the required stocking permits.

On visitor monitoring, Kemper said trail counters are providing useful usage data: the Zim Smith counter showed roughly 36,000 counts since installation (the transcript shows subsequent counts increasing past that figure in May), Shenendehowa Park’s counter was reported at about 10,000, Round Lake about 13,600, Elizabeth Street about 8,300 and Underpass Road about 4,300 so far this year. Kemper told the committee staff recorded an incident where someone taped a sensor, apparently thinking it was a camera; the county attorney’s office provided language and staff posted signage to clarify that counters use an infrared beam and are not cameras.

The committee then heard from Jen Hunt Dempsey, the new executive director of the Saratoga Trails Alliance. “Our mission is to be a resource hub for trail users around the county as well as a public information, education and advocacy group for connecting trails,” Dempsey said, describing STA’s work with user groups, trail chats, and planning efforts focused on countywide connections. She highlighted priorities such as connecting the Zim Smith Trail to the Spa State Park area and continuing Palmertown Range projects that involve multiple towns. Dempsey said STA will support a countywide trails-map working group with user contacts, outreach and event promotion.

Committee members emphasized the map’s economic-development potential. One supervisor noted that visitors to county trails often come from other states and spend money locally in hotels and restaurants; members said they want to coordinate with Discover Saratoga when the map is ready for public release.

What happens next: staff will circulate application information ahead of the farmland/open-space deadline in mid-June, bring the Malta reimbursement back to the committee for action, return with a proposed use policy if DEC selects an outside vendor for monitoring work, and continue deployment and reporting of trail counters. The committee approved the meeting report and adjourned.