Lands and Grounds
Skidmore currently owns about 1,400 acres of undeveloped land across various properties. The North Woods is adjacent to the developed portion of campus and is used both by the College for teaching and research and by the Saratoga Springs community for education and recreation. Off-campus parcels include the Denton Road property, site of Skidmore's solar farm, and several wooded properties to the north and west of campus. Visit the North Woods Story map (by stewards Jacob Adams '21 and Stella Piasecki '22) for comprehensive history of main campus lands, including indigenous history from Ndakinna Education Center and trail work logs from our student stewards.
Lands and ground projects include:
-
North Woods preservation: Skidmore is dedicated to protecting open space on campus, having committed to preserving about 150 acres of the Northwoods until 2050. To learn more about Skidmore's North Woods, please visit the North Woods Stewards homepage.
-
Fertilizer and pest control reductions: Skidmore seeks to build the health of the soil so that fewer and fewer chemical fertilizers and pest controls will be required. These incremental application reductions are currently being followed.
-
Woodlands atlas report: The Woodlands Atlas Project published in 2012 is a student-faculty collaborative project that surveyed and mapped the more than 1,000 acres of land owned by Skidmore College. Click here to view the report.
- Tree Campus USA: For over a decade Skidmore has been a member of Arbor Day's Tree Campus USA community. This membership connects Skidmore to the NY Department of Environmental
Conservation and campuses across the country to best preserve, maintain, and care
for campus trees and shrubs.
- Palmertown Range partnership: This multi-use trail project stretches from Spa State Park to Moreau Lake State Park and contains over 8,000 acres of forested lands. The project, led by Saratoga Preserving Land and Nature (P.L.A.N), includes a spine trail and potential spurs over 50 miles in length. These preserved parcels of land include, state, community, private, and Skidmore College land. Skidmore is one of 15 partner organizations, along with local towns, colleges, and non-profits.
