Environment DEC
From the October 2005 issue
DEC Issues Draft Unit Management Plan for Northampton Beach Campground
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan announced the release of a draft unit management plan (UMP) for the Northampton Beach Campground and Area on the shores of Great Sacandaga Lake in the Town of Northampton, Fulton County.
"DEC campgrounds are extremely popular recreational facilities and an integral part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve," Commissioner Sheehan said. "The release of the draft unit management plan for the Northampton Beach Public Campground and Day Use Area is another step in our efforts to improve public access and ensure the protection of the Adirondacks for future generations. As always, the public's participation has been, and will continue to be, invaluable throughout the planning process."
A public meeting was held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday September 20, 2005 at the Northville Central School, Northville, NY. The meeting provided the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed management actions in the draft UMP and provide comment. DEC will accept written comments on the draft UMP until October 30, 2005.
Northampton Beach
The campground boasts a natural
sand beach with guarded swimming
area from mid-June to Labor Day
The Northampton Beach Public Campground and Day Use Area is located on the northwest corner of the 29-mile-long Great Sacandaga Lake. The campground contains 224 large, level campsites for tents and trailers in a variety of settings from secluded woods to open sandy beach. The campground has flush toilets, hot showers, a trailer dump station and a recycling center. The day-use area includes a picnic area, a picnic pavilion, boat launch, sand swimming beach and a bathhouse.
The popular facility provides excellent fishing and water-sport opportunities with on-premises rowboat, canoe and kayak rentals in addition to a large-craft boat launch. The campground also offers DEC's award-winning Junior Naturalist program, a nature-based program that encourages children to explore the surrounding environment, and Nature Recreation Program, which offers daily recreational and environmental activities such as nature hikes, nature crafts, canoe trips, games and campfire activities.
Scope of the UMP
The draft UMP contains proposed management activities including:
- Updating sanitary waste facilities, including constructing an additional dumping station, adding additional cover to the existing day-use sewage disposal field and relocating the camping-loop sewage disposal field to comply with health code and DEC standards;
- Modifying the entrance booth, public telephones and beach area to improve access for people with disabilities
- Stabilizing shorelines, planting trees, resurfacing camping pads and paving day-use parking area to mitigate natural and human-traffic caused erosion
- Replacing comfort stations, shower house, bathhouse and lifeguard buildings with modernized facilities and improving access for people with disabilities
- Eliminating some concerns caused by seasonal flooding
Reasons for UMPs
The Adirondack State Land Master Plan identifies 41 campgrounds in the Adirondack Forest Preserve which are classified as "intensive use areas," and requires a unit management plan for each. Unit management plans integrate the goals and objectives of the master plan, related legislation, resource and visitor-use information into a single document.
A UMP must be completed before significant new recreational facilities can be constructed. The plan includes an analysis of the natural features of the area and the ability of the land to accommodate public use. The planning process is designed to cover all environmental considerations for the unit and forms the basis for all proposed management activities for a five-year period.
More information
The draft UMP is available for review at the DEC regional office in Ray Brook, DEC regional suboffice in Northville, and DEC maintenance facility in Indian Lake. The plan is also available for review at the Northampton Town Office. You can obtain a copy by calling the DEC Bureau of Recreation at 518-457-2500.
Public comments will be accepted until October 30, 2005 and may be sent to: Tom Folts, General Manager of Forest Parks, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-5253. For more information about unit management plans and environmental education programs at DEC campgrounds, see the related links below.
