News Clipping

Daily Gazette
Friday, October 29, 2004, p. B-1

Clifton Park nets preservation grant

By Pam Allen
Gazette Reporter

Clifton Park - The town has received a $320,000 federal grant to preserve 250 acres of the 500-acre Dwaas Kill Natural Area off Ushers Road, which would make it the largest open space land purchase in the town's history when the deal is completed.

The grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund was announced at the eastern boundary of the nature area, with brief speeches by Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue; U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park; Assemblyman Robert Prentiss, R- Colonie; Republican Town Supervisor Philip Barrett; and Audubon New York Executive Director David Miller.

Clifton Park adopted an aggressive open space plan in 2003. Including the pending purchase of the Dwaas Kill property, the town has acquired 400 acres of open space, the largest of which had been the 82-acre Round Lake reservoir. The latest land purchase by Clifton Park would be the largest open space acquisition in the immediate Capital Region in decades, Miller said.

The future preserve is located west of the Northway, bounded by Van Patten Drive, Carlton Road and Kinns Road, and just south of an active railway.

The acquisition of the property was a collaborative effort, said Miller, a Clifton Park resident who helped write the grant application and also helped develop the town's open space plan.

Miller applauded Sweeney for his efforts to help obtain the grant, and Barrett for his determination in acquiring the pristine property.

Sweeney pointed to $107 million in federal funds for land preservation and $1 million in state grants as part of a nationwide effort to preserve open space.

"I pledge to make sure there are more projects like this on the horizon," he said.

Sweeney, in turn, credited Prentiss for his perseverance in acquiring the grant.

Prentiss, the 10-year incumbent representing the 109th District, faces a challenge from Democrat Bob Reilly in Tuesday's elections.

The Dwaas Kill watershed is a critical natural preserve that offers opportunities for trout fishing, hiking, walking and bird-watching, said Miller, who added that the wood thrush and numerous other warblers are among the various migratory songbirds that find refuge on the property.

Saratoga County has committed to pay $10,000 toward the Dwaas Kill land purchase. Clifton Park would fund the remainder of the cost. The land is being sold by developer Robert Van Patten Jr.

The price is being negotiated, officials said.

One goal of the year-old open space plan calls for acquiring 300 to 600 acres of the Dwaas Kill natural stream corridor in the next two to four years. The 250-acre land acquisition would bring the amount of town-owned open space to 400 acres, Barrett said. The town set aside $50,000 in 2004, and $70,000 in each of the years 2004 and 2005 for open space acquisition. Rural property owners have committed more than 2,600 acres to temporary conversion easement programs, and 85 acres to a permanent easement program.

"Preserving farmland and open space for future generations is one of the most important tasks in front of us," Barrett said.

He said he will continue to keep open space preservation a priority for the community.