Environment DEC
From the September 2003 issue
Draft of Catskill Park State Land Master Plan Released
DEC Commissioner Erin M. Crotty has announced the release of the draft revision of the Catskill Park State Land Master Plan. She also encouraged the public to provide input for the plan, which will guide future management of the state's holdings within the Catskill State Park.
Commissioner Crotty said, "This draft revised master plan will assist DEC in continuing to manage the Catskill Forest Preserve in a way that meets the needs of the public, contributes to the economic vitality of the region, and enhances New York State's stewardship of the forest preserve for this and future generations."
Public Hearing Schedule
- Monday, September 8, 2003; 7 PM; Guilderland Town Hall, 5209 Route 20, Guilderland
- Tuesday, September 9, 2003; 7 PM; Windham Town Hall, 371 State Route 296, Hensonville
- Thursday, September 18, 2003; 7 PM; Neversink Town Hall, 273 Main Street (State Route 55), Grahamsville
- Saturday, September 20, 2003; 10 AM; Discovery (lower) Lodge of Belleayre Ski Center, one-half mile south of State Route 28 on County Route 49A, Highmount
Those who cannot attend the meetings or who want to submit written comments can do so until October 15, 2003. Address comments to Peter J. Frank, Bureau Chief, Forest Preserve Management, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4254.
Changes Planned
The revised draft proposes the following major changes:
- Creating the Windham Blackhead Range Wilderness by reclassifying existing forest preserve lands currently classified as wild forest
- Creating the Hunter West Kill Wilderness by expanding the West Kill Wilderness Area to nearly 27,000 acres, including reclassifying 7,000 acres of the Hunter Mountain Wild Forest and renaming the remaining acres as the Rusk Mountain Wild Forest
- Prohibiting bicycle use in wilderness areas and restricting use to designated bicycle trails on lands classified as wild forest
- Eliminating the current provision that requires all wild forest lands and waters above 2,700 feet to be managed according to wilderness guidelines
- Prohibiting development of snowmobile trails in wild forest areas located above 3,100 feet
- Limiting the size of camping groups to 12 people in wilderness areas and 20 people in wild forest areas
- Reclassifying several land parcels according to their size and use
A Long History
Since its creation in 1885, the Catskill Forest
Preserve has grown to nearly 300,000 acres
of public land within Delaware, Greene,
Sullivan and Ulster counties
The Catskill Forest Preserve is part of the Catskill Park--705,500 acres of public and private lands. Since its creation in 1885, the preserve has grown from 34,000 acres to nearly 300,000 acres of public land within Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster counties. Forest preserve lands are protected under Article 14 of the New York State Constitution as "forever wild" and cannot be logged, leased or sold and must be managed to protect wilderness values. In addition, the state pays local taxes on the land.
The original Catskill Park State Land Master Plan was developed in 1985 and classifies forest preserve lands within the park according to their physical character and capacity to accommodate use based on four land classifications: wilderness, wild forest, intensive use and administrative. The plan also designates management units and directs DEC to develop individual unit management plans that guide management activities and public use of those units.
The draft plan is available in PDF format from the Divison of Lands and Forests (see link below), and hard copies are available by contacting one of the DEC regional offices listed on the same website.
