Environment DEC
From the November 2006 issue
Adirondack Snowmobile Plan Released
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan announced the release of the Snowmobile Plan for the Adirondack Park. The plan will serve as a guide for the development of new trails and eliminate other trails that are no longer needed.
"The Adirondack Snowmobile Plan is a balanced, carefully crafted vision for the future of the snowmobile trail system within the park that will improve its environment and natural resources while helping local communities," Commissioner Sheehan said. "This plan will achieve a balance by ensuring that the wilder parts of the Forest Preserve are enhanced, while also providing snowmobile trail connections to local communities."
Key Components
Snowmobile trails will be reconfigured
away from interior wild forest areas
Key components of the plan include encouraging development of snowmobile trails on private lands, reconfiguring snowmobile trails in the Forest Preserve away from interior wild forest areas and establishing improved community connection trails closer to the periphery of Forest Preserve units and along transportation corridors. The trail system will be planned carefully with extensive public input throughout development of unit management plans (UMP) for different areas of the Forest Preserve. All new trail proposals will be included in UMPs that will be thoroughly evaluated by the public and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA).
Current Trail System
Snowmobile use in the Adirondack Park has evolved over the years to include a wide variety of trails on both private and pubic lands, but no overall plan has ever been established to steer future development of trails away from sensitive areas and into communities where they are desired. The piecemeal, ad-hoc development of trail systems has resulted in over development of trails in some locations, lost loop and trail connections in other areas and under utilization in some communities where rider services, rest areas and facilities are readily available to safely accommodate snowmobile use.
