The Northern Forest Canoe Trail has completed a series of stewardship projects that improve access to Franklin Falls Pond (also known as Franklin Falls Flow) and Union Falls Pond (also known as Union Falls Flow) and mitigate negative environmental impacts to both water bodies.
Franklin Falls Pond is a 439-acre, 2.7-mile long pond created by damming the Saranac River three miles northeast of Lower Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. Union Falls Pond is an impoundment on the Saranac River that lies immediately downstream of Franklin Falls Flow
The ponds are part of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT), which begins in Old Forge, NY and ends in Fort Kent, ME.
The work was performed on property managed by Brookfield Renewable, which also manages the nearby Franklin Falls Dam. Brookfield, a long time NFCT partner, provided funding for the project.
At Union Falls Pond, the NFCT’s stewardship crew developed a new campsite with an access trail, privy, campsite pads and a fire ring; the privy was relocated from a closed site and required two canoes to move it. This work was completed in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The NFCT’s stewardship team, which consists of five professional staff members, received support from several local volunteers for this work. To learn more about the NFCT’s stewardship program, contact Noah Pollock at noah@northernforestcanoetrail.org or visit their website.
Photo of Franklin, Union Falls Ponds NFCT Trail Access Crew provided.
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