The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has announced they are now accepting public comment for the Grass River Wild Forest Unit Management Plan.
The APA will accept public comments until July 13, 2018 regarding Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for the proposed management actions. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) Board approved amendments to the Black River Wild Forest, the Cranberry Lake Boat Launch and the Lake George Beach and Battlefield Unit Management Plans at its June 2018 Board meeting.
What follows is part of APA’s press release describing the changes. The Unit Management Plans can be found on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s UMP webpage.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently approved guidelines for mountain bike facilities on “forever wild” Adirondack Forest Preserve lands.
The document, Management Guidance: Siting, Construction and Maintenance of Singletrack Bicycle Trails on Forest Preserve Lands in the Adirondack Park is expected to assist DEC in planning bicycle trail networks on Forest Preserve lands classified as Wild Forest. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Ray Brook, NY on Thursday, June 8th, 2018.
The meeting will cover proposed enhancements to the Olympic Jumping Complex, proposed amendments to the Black River and Cranberry Lake Boat Launch, Lake George Battlefield, Gore Mountain, Saranac Lake Wild Forest, and Grasse River UMPs, a private RV campground, and more.
What follows is the agenda issued by the APA: » Continue Reading.
What follows is a press release issued by Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve:
At public meetings held in Albany and Newcomb this week, the non-profit advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve told the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and NYS Adirondack Park Agency (APA) that the agencies are rushing to approve complex amendments to management plans for the High Peaks Wilderness and nearby Forest Preserve units. Such haste risks exposing these wilderness landscapes to more overuse and degradation of their natural resources and wild character.
The agencies are on course to approve the amendments in just over 45 days, or half the time that the agencies previously agreed should be taken to consider complex unit management plans for “forever wild” state lands. » Continue Reading.
While casting her vote for the Boreas Ponds land classification known as Alternative 2 on February 2, 2018, one Adirondack Park Agency board member told the audience gathered at the agency’s headquarters in Ray Brook that we should “take a leap of faith,” even if the public wasn’t getting the wilderness classification it wanted. She said that we should trust the Department of Environmental Conservation to protect the Boreas Ponds in its forthcoming unit management plan (UMP) for the area, where environmental safeguards would be written into the proposals for recreational access.
Unfortunately, that faith has proven to be unwarranted. DEC has released a pair of management plans that will impact the future of not just the beautiful Boreas Ponds, but the entire High Peaks Wilderness. The scope of these two documents far exceeds the available time to read and assess everything they contain, but even with a cursory review it is abundantly clear that our state agencies are failing to meet the public’s expectations. » Continue Reading.
I’d like to recognize the Adirondack Daily Enterprise for its recent editorial “APA, DEC Skimp on Public Meetings.” The newspaper wrote that two public meetings, both held on the same day (Wednesday, May 23) about numerous management amendments to the High Peaks Wilderness and Vanderwhacker Wild Forest:
“while important, are also severely wanting. These lands belong to the people of New York, and folks near New York City, in Syracuse and Buffalo, Watertown and Ithaca all deserve to have APA and DEC staff come explain what the plans mean and hear the public’s concerns. Together, the two UMP amendments run to more than 300 pages, and it would be beneficial to the public to have them explained by the people who wrote them.”
Now that the classifications are decided and amendments to the unit management plans (UMP) are underway, the process seems highly accelerated and rushed. » Continue Reading.
The High Peaks Wilderness Complex and the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Draft Unit Management Plan Amendments have been released and public input is sought by June 27th.
Two public meetings will be held; on May 23, 2018, at 10 am at DEC Headquarters, 625 Broadway, in Albany; and the same day at 6 pm at Newcomb Central School, 5535 State Route 28N, in Newcomb.
The meetings will provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed management actions and comment on the proposals. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Ray Brook, NY on Thursday, May 10th, 2018.
The meeting will include discussion on the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest and the High Peaks Wilderness Unit Management Plans (UMPs), proposed amendments to the Gore Mountain Intensive Use Ski Area UMP, an Arbor Day tree dedication, a presentation on the Lake Champlain Basin Program, and discuss proposed enhancements for the Ski Bowl Village located in the Town of Johnsburg. What follows is the agenda issued by the APA: » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comment for a proposed amendment to the Black River Wild Forest Unit Management Plan. According to an announcement sent by DEC:
“The primary purpose of this UMP amendment is to classify snowmobile trails to conform to the trail classification system and guidelines set forth in the Management Guidance for Snowmobile Trail Siting, Construction, and Maintenance on Forest Preserve Lands in the Adirondack Park.” » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have announced they are holding a joint public comment period to solicit comments for the Cranberry Lake Boat Launch Unit Management Plan. Public comment will be accepted until April 27, 2018.
The Cranberry Lake Boat Launch Site is located in the Town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County, NY. It is approximately 70 miles east of Watertown and 30 miles west of Tupper Lake on NYS Route 3. The boat launch is in the Hamlet of Cranberry Lake about one-quarter mile south of NYS Route 3 on Columbian Road. » Continue Reading.
The management of historic buildings on the Forest Preserve has been a vexing issue for decades. State management has evolved over the years from a position of building removal to now accommodating historic buildings on the Forest Preserve through the creation of a “Historic” area classification.
The state has since built a policy of retaining buildings for public educational and historic preservation purposes. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA), which was established to protect the Adirondack Park from inappropriate development, has revised its application processes for large scale projects and variances.
The Large-scale Subdivision Application applies to all subdivisions involving five or more proposed lots, parcels or sites on Resource Management lands, ten or more proposed lots, parcels or sites on Rural Use lands, or twenty-five or more proposed lots, parcels or sites on Low Intensity Use lands. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has announced they are now accepting public comment for a proposed amendment to the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center Unit Management Plan.
Highlights of proposed changes include new intermediate downhill ski trails, widening of some existing trails, an extension and replacement of the existing Bear Lift and a replacement and realignment of the existing Freeway Lift. The plan also addresses parking needs, improvements for vehicular and pedestrian access to base areas and mountain biking trails. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has announced they are accepting public comments for a proposed amendment to the Gore Mountain Ski Center Unit Management Plan.
Proposed changes include new downhill ski trails, widening of some existing trails, a new triple or quad lift from Northwood Lodge to Lower Sunway, an expansion of the NYSEF building, snowmaking improvements and a request for State Land reclassification. The plan also proposes hiking and mountain biking trail changes. » Continue Reading.
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