About Us

Our Vision:

Saratoga County has a robust network of well-designed and well-maintained trails in a vibrant community with engaged trail user groups. 


Our Mission:

Saratoga Trails Alliance serves as a central resource hub for trail users, organizations, and people who live, work and play in Saratoga County. We support ecologically sustainable and accessible trails and advocate for county-wide trail projects to benefit an inclusive and diverse community.


Values:

  • We enhance our community. We benefit our community by supporting conservation efforts, contributing to the local economy, and providing residents and visitors alike with an array of opportunities to enjoy nature.

  • We respect and protect nature. We develop trail systems and promote trail uses that are compatible with nature conservation.

  • We listen and collaborate. We engage  with interested land owners, land managers, and user groups to build cooperation and maximize outcomes for all.

  • We support land conservation efforts. We seek to collaborate with government entities, local land trusts, private landowners, and other community partners to integrate trails as appropriate into conservation plans and programs.

  • We obtain needed funding. Working in collaboration with our partners, we raise and reinvest private and public funds to advance trail design, development, stewardship and engagement.  

  • We cultivate and support volunteerism. We supply a corps of motivated volunteers for the upkeep of trails and carriage roads, and related stewardship needs.

  • We advocate.  We document support for trail systems and work with our partners to advance trail and conservation interests before local, regional, and as necessary, state boards and bodies.

  • We operate independently. We function as a free-standing nonprofit, supportive of our partners, while also reserving the right to differ respectfully.

  • We produce tangible results. We achieve measurable results from programs and funds expended.

Who is STA?

Jenn Hunt Dempsey, Executive Director

Jenn Hunt Dempsey has 30 years of nonprofit experience in public media, education, and conservation. She has lived in Saratoga Springs since 2001 and served on the boards of directors for Saratoga PLAN and Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park. She is currently a member of PLAN’s Graphite Range Community Forest Advisory Committee, the Open Space Advisory Committee for the City of Saratoga Springs and the board of directors of the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF). She is also an ADK 46er and volunteer instructor for the Adirondack Winter Mountaineering School. She holds a bachelor’s in communications from Syracuse University and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the University at Albany. Jenn’s favorite place to be is anywhere outside, especially with her family. She is an avid skier, hiker, and runner on the trails around Saratoga County and the Adirondacks.