The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold three public hearings regarding the assessment of alternatives to amend the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP)related to the fire towers in the St. Regis Canoe Area and Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area. The APA is also accepting written comments on this matter until August 25, 2010.

Proposed alternatives for amending the State Land Master Plan include:

· Reclassify an area around the base of the fire towers on St. Regis and Hurricane Mountains to a Historic Area classification.

· Revise the SLMP Canoe Area guidelines to include the fire tower on St. Regis Mountain as a conforming structure.

· Revise the SLMP classification guidelines to allow the retention of the fire towers in Primitive areas under certain conditions. This alternative would include creating a small Primitive area around the fire tower on St. Regis and retaining a small Primitive area classification around the fire tower on Hurricane Mountain.

· No Action; which would result in removal or relocation from their current locations.

Public hearings will be held on the following dates and locations:

Date: Monday, August 9, 2010 at 3 pm
Location: NYS DEC Headquarters
Room 129 A&B
625 Broadway
Albany, NY

An informal information session will begin at 3:00 PM and the formal public hearing will begin at 3:30 PM.

Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 7 pm
Location: Keene Central School
33 Market St.,
Keene Valley, NY

An informal information session will begin at 7:00 PM and the formal public hearing will begin at 7:30 PM.

Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 7 pm
Location: Paul Smith’s College
Route 86 & 30
Paul Smiths, NY

An informal information session will begin at 7:00 PM and the formal public hearing will begin at 7:30 PM.

The public is invited to present oral or written statement in regard to the proposed actions. Written comments will be accepted through August 25, 2010.

Written comments should be addressed to:

James Connolly, Deputy Director
Planning Division
NYS Adirondack Park Agency
PO Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Or by email – apa_slmp@gw.dec.state.ny.us

The Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area is in the towns of Elizabethtown, Jay, Keene and Lewis in Essex County. The St. Regis Canoe Area is located in the towns of Santa Clara, Harrietstown and Brighton in Franklin County.

Description of the proposed action is available for downloaded from the APA’s website at www.apa.state.ny.us or on CD at Agency’s headquarters in Ray Brook. For further information regarding the proposed actions contact James Connolly at 518-891-4050.