This page contains information for the ongoing habitat improvements on County owned property in the Towns of Northumberland and Wilton. The habitat improvements are a condition of FAA approval and funding of safety improvements at Saratoga County Airport. The goal, to establish 183 acres of habitat for the Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB) and Frosted Elfin Butterfly (FE) on three sites
The KBB is an endangered species protected by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The FE is a threatened species protected by the NYSDEC. The habitat mitigation sites are within the York State Saratoga Sandplains Recovery Unit (SSRU) for the KBB, which includes existing and recently created habitat areas managed by the NYSDEC
The USFWS and NYSDEC assisted the County in determining the best location to create KBB habitat remote from the airport. The chosen locations are proximate to other existing KBB habitat mitigation sites and will help meet the USFWS SSRU goal of creating a total of 320 acres of suitable habitat for a viable population of KBB.
Currently both the North and the South sites are under construction for habitat creation. The East site is anticipated to begin construction for habitat creation in the Spring of 2021.
