Environment DEC
From the November 2006 issue
DEC Issues Draft Unit Management Plan for Stewart State Forest
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a draft unit management plan (UMP) for the 6,700-acre Stewart State Forest in the Orange County towns of New Windsor, Montgomery and Hamptonburg and the Village of Maybrook. Two public meetings were held on Thursday, October 26, 2006 to provide information and allow the public to comment on the draft.
Stewart State Forest
DEC recently planted 400 rare purple
milkweed plants, one of the largest
populations in the Northeast,
in the Stewart State Forest
About 5,100 acres of Stewart State Forest were first transferred to DEC in 1999 by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), followed by an additional 1,600 acres east of Maple Avenue in June 2006. The area offers many recreational opportunities, including hiking, hunting, mountain biking, fishing, dog training and trials, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and bird watching. More than 40 miles of roads and trails make this area a premier outdoor destination. Farm fields, grasslands, forests of all ages and sizes, as well as diverse wetlands and ponds support a variety of wildlife, including increasingly rare grass, shrub and wetland species.
Plan Directs Activities
The UMP process is designed to cover all environmental considerations for the unit and forms the basis for all proposed management activities. The draft UMP includes an analysis of the natural features of the area and the ability of the land to accommodate public use. Following the plan's final adoption by DEC, it will direct management activities at this state forest for ten years.
The draft UMP proposes to:
- Maintain the prohibition on ATV use in Stewart State Forest
- Prohibit snowmobile use based on comments from a citizen advisory committee and due to soil and climate conditions
- Expand access to the public during the fall hunting season
- Allow camping by permit only and limit campfires
- Create a contiguous trail system
- Continue to support farming and manage fields and woodlands for wildlife through mowing and forest management
- Address special recreational uses and situations on the property
Public Review and Comments
The UMP is available for public review at DEC headquarters in Albany and at DEC's regional office in New Paltz. Paper copies of the draft UMP, and electronic copies on CD, are available by writing to the address below or by calling 845-256-3082. A copy of the document also will be available on DEC's website.
Comments will be accepted until Friday, November 10, 2006 and may be sent to: Robert Messenger at NYSDEC, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561-1620.
