Conservation deal with Adirondack Land Trust would protect additional college forest land while generating needed funds
By James M. Odato
A big slice of Paul Smith’s College’s forest may be added to the conservation easement portion of the institution’s Adirondack Park holdings.
The school and the Adirondack Land Trust have been negotiating a deal for several months, according to representatives.
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Already about 50% of the school’s acreage is protected by conservation easements. Now, the school and the land trust are negotiating putting an additional large amount under an easement, the school and the trust said.
The deal may take months to consummate but it will yield a substantial sum for the school, allowing it to continue using its forests for education while providing money to invest in college programs, said President Dan Kelting.
‘A gift to nature’
Pointing to a marketing campaign rolled out in October, Kelting said the college is emphasizing pillars of its curriculum — particularly climate and environmental justice — and will be engaging more with the community while highlighting the natural beauty of its campus of 14,000 acres.
Connie Pritchett, Adirondack Land Trust spokeswoman, said the parties are exploring options to bring more of the college’s land into protected status.
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“For the land trust, it is common practice to work with private landowners to identify conservation opportunities,” Pritchett said.
Kelting called a conservation easement “a gift to nature.”
“That’s why we do them. We’re selling the development rights but we retain all our rights to use the forests for educational purposes,” he said.
Plan to boost enrollment
The school is structuring itself into institutes — culinary, forestry and climate studies — similar to its Adirondack Watershed Institute. It is also partnering with community employers such as the Hotel Saranac and the Olympic Regional Development Authority to place students seeking experience in hospitality or culinary arts.
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Emphasizing the word “adventure” in its marketing, Paul Smith’s hopes to find Generation Z students with an interest in green jobs and make the campus feel welcoming to youths who may not be the skiers, canoers and hikers the school is also targeting.
The school has been working hard to boost enrollment, now at about 600, and is offering scholarships paid for by donors that will cover costs of 50 people a semester chosen from North Country high schools.
The package, a total commitment of $2 million over four years, was underwritten by about two dozen donors.
As a result, Kelting expects at least 300 new students arriving. Total enrollment should hit 750 in the fall, he said, or 75% of goal of 1,000 enrollees by the end of the decade.
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“We want to be known as the college for the Adirondacks,” he said.
Photo at top by James M. Odato
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