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The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are holding a joint public comment period to solicit comments regarding proposed guidance on best management practices for primitive camp sites in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
Guidance addresses roadside camping as it pertains to walk-in sites, and walk-in sites with a single lane parking area. It also includes recommendations for large groups at primitive camp sites, camping permits, tent site size limits, campsite improvements and regulation changes. The APA and DEC will accept comments on these issues until January 29, 2016. No public hearings are scheduled to be held on these changes.
According to an announcement sent to the press: “The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APSLMP) allows for primitive tent sites to be designated in Wilderness, Primitive, Canoe and Wild Forest areas. Sites located in Wilderness, Primitive or Canoe areas should be positioned generally one-quarter mile apart to ensure they provide an acceptable degree of solitude. In Wild Forest areas, the APSLMP allows for small groupings of primitive tent sites, widely dispersed (generally a mile apart), located in a manner that will blend in with the surrounding environment, and have a minimum impact on the wild forest character and natural resource quality of the area.”
A pdf download of the proposed Adirondack Forest Preserve Best Management Practices for Primitive Tent Sites is available at the APA’s website here.
Comments specific to these management actions should be directed to the Department of Environmental Conservation:
Peter Frank
Forest Preserve Bureau Chief
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway, 5th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-4254
Comments pertaining to Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance should be addressed to:
Kathy Regan
Deputy Director for Planning
NYS Adirondack Park Agency
P.O. Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Fax: 518-891-3938
Email – SLMP_Comments@apa.ny.gov
Photo showing DEC and APA development of trails, roads, and campsites in the Moose River Plains by John Warren.
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