Officials in Johnsburg have unveiled plans to expand recreational trails in collaboration with a local business.
Barton Mines has been in operation in the Adirondacks for nearly 150 years, mining garnet for industrial water-jet use.
Now, after five years of work, it’s getting close to donating a recreational easement located on 200 acres of forested land to the northern Warren County town.
“So, we’ve been talking about this informally with the town for a couple years. Now we want to make it happen. And as you may have heard, Warren County is now recognizing the importance of trails and economic activity. So, the timing is perfect,” said Barton.
Chuck Barton is a fifth-generation trustee of the mining company. He says the collaboration is a result of Barton Mines’ commitment to being a responsible part of the Johnsburg community.
“This is just what we do. So, if you have the land—and, by the way, that land’s been in the business of the family for many years, it’s land we don’t use. So, it’s underutilized and why not do the easement so the community can have the advantage of what the land can offer. So, it’s a fairly easy decision,” said Barton.
The donation will create new all-season public recreational trails that will connect the North Creek Ski Bowl recreational center with the state-owned Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Barton, an avid skier, is excited to be able to enjoy the land with locals and visitors alike.
“If you’re down the ski bowl and you want to get to Siamese Wilderness Area, you have to go along Route 28 around the base of the mountain and then over to the side of the Barton Mines Road on the Siamese Wilderness Area. Now from the ski bowl, you can go up the mountain across our property and right over into the Siamese wilderness area. So, it is enormously shorter, and, frankly, more scenic and exciting,” said Barton.
The donated land is part of the company’s Gore Mountain mine and sits five miles south of its current mining operation at Ruby Mountain.
Republican Johnsburg Town Supervisor Kevin Bean says easier travel between the ski bowl and wilderness area, and creation of new trails, will be great for the local economy.
“And this is just an incredible opportunity to again continue to grow out trail network for hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, snowshoers, all of it. And when people come here, especially in the summer time, yeah you’re gonna come fishing, after a little while you’re kinda, ‘I want to find some other stuff to do,’ hiking and mountain biking is huge. It’s an incredible opportunity for us, for the town, without a doubt,” said Bean.
Christine Powers runs a nearby spiritual and mindfulness retreat.
“And this is just going to make everything so much easier because in order to have a vibrant economy, you have to have the tourists come. And so, to bring more people who may have not quite the stamina or the endurance to have an easier trail system, more accessible, more connected, can only lift the whole community. So, we’re really thrilled with this,” said Powers.
Anna Bowers is both a town board member and a local school teacher. She says the trail expansions go far beyond attracting more tourists.
“Locals are going to use this, kids are going to use this, and I think that’s a really important part about our recreation. It’s not—it’s for everyone and the more than we have people using it the more they’re going to stay here, the more they’re going to raise their families, the more that you’re going to have the kids come back. We have a ski program at the school because every student at Johnsburg gets a ski pass. We have kids who do a 2nd through 4th grade ski program, six weeks, it’s amazing. So, this is just another way that we can get our kids and our community being a part of the things that, yeah, tourists get to do, but guess what? That’s our mountain and we get to do it mid-week when nobody is here,” said Bowers.
The easement is expected to be finalized in the coming months.