Information & Town News

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to be held Friday, April 24th at 10:30am

Supervisor Barrett and the Town of Clifton Park Open Space, Trails, and Riverfront Committee are proud to announce the acquisition of 32 acres of open space, working farmland and natural historic area on Riverview Road. The property, situated on the south side of Riverview Road about a mile west of the Whipple Bridge entrance to the Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve, is envisioned for future public use for walking trails, cultural and historic interpretation, and for potential future reconnections to the preserve.

The Town has secured the land to conserve historic, scenic, and natural resources for the public, meeting goals of the Town of Clifton Park Open Space Plan, the Town of Clifton Park Historic Preservation Commission, and the Scenic Conservation Action Plan for the Mohawk Towpath Byway.   The property strengthens the public experience of the scenic, historic, and cultural resources in the Vischer Ferry National Historic District, the Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve, and of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway.

The town acquired the property from owners Wallace and Gayalyn Wojtowicz, local residents who supported the conservation of their family’s land and the important community history of the property.  The rural, open fields have been continuously farmed since the 1670s. Town Historian, John Scherer said, “As Town Historian, I am delighted that this historic Van Vranken farmland is now preserved giving us additional acreage adjacent to the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve and the remains of the Erie Canal and Lock 19.  This will afford the Town additional access to Historic Lock 19 and allow for some additional interpretation of this area as well as preserving the rural character of the Vischer Ferry Historic District."

“Thanks to the Wojtowicz family’s stewardship and love of the land, the acquisition of their property is one of the crown jewels of Clifton Park with future walking trails right down to the Mohawk River. It is our most significant land protection project in years and adds to the open space legacy of Supervisor Phil Barrett and the Clifton Park Town Board,” said David J. Miller, Chair of the Town of Clifton Park Open Space, Trails, and Riverfront Committee.  

The purchase was made possible with funding assistance from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Environmental Protection Fund, and the Saratoga County Farmland and Open Space Grant Program, through the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.

This project supports the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s goal of 30% protection of the state’s lands and waters by 2030. Several organizations specifically supported the Town’s acquisition of the Riverview Road Field in the town’s successful state grant application: the Town of Clifton Park Open Space, Trails, and Riverfront Committee; the Friends of Clifton Park Open Space; Audubon New York, the state office of the National Audubon Society; the Audubon Society of the Capital Region; Saratoga PLAN.

“We commend the town of Clifton Park for stepping forward to protect this scenic 32-acre property. As part of the Vischer Ferry National Historic District, this investment preserves views of a working landscape while strengthening connections to adjacent protected lands and the growing trail network along the Erie Canal. This acquisition reflects a clear commitment to the community by balancing growth with the protection of Clifton Park’s natural resources and historic character," said Robert Davies, Executive Director of Saratoga PLAN.

“The conservation of these 32 acres on Riverview Road helps fulfill the goal of conservation of open space and farmland balanced with development in town, a balance the town has worked to achieve over these past 26 years,” said Town Supervisor Phil Barrett. This acquisition enhances the nearly 2,000 acres of land that the Town of Clifton Park has conserved since 2000. 

We invite the public to join us for a ribbon cutting on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 10:30am at the project site, a large open field across the street from 283 Riverview Road.