[1] Lying at the southern edge of the Adirondack Park, the Palmertown Range encompasses 62 square-miles between the southern edge of Lake Champlain and downtown Saratoga Springs. Geographically significant, the Palmertown Range area has the potential to provide a recreational link between Moreau Lake and Saratoga Spa state parks and connect the communities of Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Queensbury. This grant request was to support the work of OSI’s planning consultant, Alta Planning, so they could complete their plan for the Palmertown Range. The Cloudsplitter Foundation Board awarded OSI the full amount requested ($10,000).
[2] In 2003, after an eight-year effort, the Open Space Institute permanently protected the breathtaking 10,000-acre Tahawus tract. In 2019, OSI’s High Peaks Visitor Improvement and Tahawus Upper Works Redevelopment Project builds on this investment. OSI plans to make over $1 million in capital improvements at Tahawus over the next two years to further improve access and protect natural resources. Work will encompass completing restoration and interpretation of the property’s remaining historic structures, developing trailheads and additional parking, and providing a means for visitors to deepen their knowledge of and engagement with the land. OSI asked the Cloudsplitter Foundation for $50,000 in each of 2109, 2020, and 2021 to help fund this effort. In October 2019 the Cloudsplitter Board awarded OSI the first $50,000 tranche with an implicit understanding that we would give subsequent year requests related to this project priority.
- Grant Name: [1] Palmertown Range Conservation; [2] Tahawus
- Project Size: [1] $93,500; [2] $1,300,000
- Grant Amount: [1] $10,000; [2] $50,000
- Strategic Value: Open Space Institute (OSI) protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes to protect habitat, provide public enjoyment, and sustain communities, a precise fit to the Cloudsplitter Foundation’s mission.