Environment DEC
From the November 2005 issue
First Wilderness Park for People with Disabilities Dedicated
DEC Acting Commissioner Denise M.
Sheehan and Bob Stegemann of
International Paper after the
dedication ceremony
Last month, International Paper, Paul Smith's College and the State of New York celebrated the dedication of John Dillon Park, the first Adirondack recreational area designed specifically for people with disabilities and their caregivers. The park fulfills former IP chairman John T. Dillon's vision for an Adirondack wilderness available to everyone.
This new park demonstrates the compatibility of accessible recreation, conservation and education within working forests. While many parks offer accessible restrooms and walkways, they rarely offer access to remote wilderness for those with disabilities. Dillon Park is designed to fulfill that need, providing disabled access and facilities for camping, fishing and enjoying nature in a true natural setting.
DEC Involvement
International Paper requested help from DEC in planning Dillon Park due to the agency's experience in creating access to the outdoors. DEC's Region 5 Division of Lands and Forests and staff from DEC's Universal Access Program were instrumental in helping to achieve and support this project. Efforts included training students from Paul Smith's College in disability awareness and in how to make programs accessible.
Park Features
Don White, a member of the DEC
Accessibility Advisory Committee,
tries out the accessibility pathways
that connect lean-to's, privies and
bear-resistant containers
Adaptive facilities have been constructed on 200 acres within Dillon Park, a 15,800-acre conservation easement donated to the state of New York by International Paper. The park will provide more than three miles of trails that meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It also includes a welcome center, nine lean-to's, an amphitheater, portable solar power and sanitary facilities.
Various points along the trail highlight the natural beauty of the park-viewing areas for nesting ospreys, a waterfall, a wetland boardwalk, and hardwood and pine forest areas. Lakeside docks are also available for observation, fishing and for launching kayaks and canoes.
Educational Partnership
Dillon Park also presents a unique educational partnership for students of Paul Smith's College who will manage and maintain the facility. An endowment has been created to support a curriculum at the school that will give students hands-on experience in managing outdoor recreation for people with disabilities, while learning about forest management and conservation through the college's forestry program.
The park will begin operating in spring of 2006.
Please Note: Much of the information above was adapted from a press release issued by International Paper.
