DEC Proposes Snowmobile Trail Changes in Jessup River Wild Forest

• by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

ALBANY, NY (01/21/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today released a proposal to update the management plan for the Jessup River Wild Forest, which covers 47,350 acres of state forest preserve lands in the towns of Arietta, Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant, and Wells in Hamilton County.

The proposal includes a draft amendment to the Jessup River Wild Forest unit management plan (UMP) and a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS), and is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/22599.html. Public comments will be accepted through Feb. 19 (details below on how to comment).

The draft includes snowmobile-related management proposals designed to conform with the Adirondack State Land Master Plan and snowmobile management guidance developed by DEC and the Adirondack Park Agency with the help of substantial public involvement. Highlights of the draft include:

• Construction of the Fish Mountain Trail, a 12-mile path that will connect Speculator and Piseco without crossing Oxbow and Sacandaga Lakes. This would be a "Class II" (wide) community connector trail.
• Construction of the Dunning Pond-International Paper Trail, a new Class II community connector. This trail will use a combination of private land, forest preserve lands, road shoulders and easement lands to provide a land-based snowmobile trail connection from Wells to Speculator away from NYS Route 30. Approximately 2.5 miles will be constructed within the Jessup River Wild Forest.
• Designation of a number of existing trails as Class II community connector trails.
• Designation of a number of existing trails as Class I (narrow) secondary trails.
• Closure of trails that don't conform with the snowmobile management guidance. This includes trails to be closed as part of a long-term effort to reduce the reliance of the state's snowmobile trail network on lake crossings, which can pose significant public safety hazards. Among those are: 1) a 0.8-mile stretch of the Oxbow-Sacandaga Lake trail; 2) a 0.2-mile spur to the Sacandaga Lake trail; and 3) two spur trails (0.2 mile and 0.5 mile) on the north side of Oxbow Lake.

Printed copies of the draft amended UMP/EIS are also available for public review at DEC offices in Albany, Northville, Herkimer, Warrensburg, and Ray Brook; the town offices of Arietta, Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant, and Wells; the village office in Speculator; and the Lake Pleasant and Indian Lake libraries. Copies are available in electronic format on compact disc (CD) by request from the DEC Northville Office by e-mailing r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us or calling 518-863-4545 extension 3005.

To Comment

Please send written comments related specifically to the snowmobile-related proposals in the draft amendment to Thomas Kapelewski, Senior Forester, NYSDEC, P. O. Box 1316, Northville, New York 12134, or send an e-mail to r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us.