Environment DEC
From the February 2007 issue
DEC Issues Draft Unit Management Plan for Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DEC recently announced the release of the draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. The unit consists of roughly 125,000 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in the following southern Adirondacks towns: Johnsburg, Stony Creek and Thurman in Warren County; Wells and Hope in Hamilton County; Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Greenfield, Hadley and Providence in Saratoga County, and Broadalbin in Fulton County.
A public meeting was held at the Wells Central School on January 24. Written comments are being accepted until March 2, 2007.
Wilcox Wild Forest boasts nearly eighty miles of marked trails for hiking
Supports a Wide Range of Uses
To the north, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is generally bounded by State Route 8, to the west by State Route 30, to the south by the Adirondack Blue Line, and to the east by the Hudson River. The unit offers many recreational opportunities, including but not limited to hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, mountain biking, canoeing, hunting and fishing. Scattered primitive tent sites offer camping opportunities adjacent to area waters and trails.
Almost 80 miles of marked trails are available, allowing the public to easily reach a variety of natural attractions such as Crane Mountain or Pine Orchard, or popular fishing and camping locations at Wilcox Lake and Round Pond. Other large water bodies, including Garnet Lake, provide for a greater variety of recreational uses and are popular ice fishing locations. The Hudson River, East Stony Creek and other large waterways enable the public to experience a unique flat water environment.
Proposed Management Actions
A partial list of proposed management actions in the Draft UMP include:
- constructing a new hiking trail to Moose Mountain near the Sacandaga Public Campground in the Town of Wells;
- designating new hiking trails to Eagle Pond in the Town of Johnsburg and Little Joe Pond in the Town of Thurman, and
- reconfiguring the unit's snowmobile trail system to improve connections between communities and to adhere to Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan guidelines regarding "no material increase" in snowmobile trail mileage.
Snowmobile trail proposals include:
- constructing a short new trail off Tucker Road in Stony Creek;
- rerouting a trail near Georgia Creek in Wells by Route 8;
- designating the Old Armstrong Road in Johnsburg for snowmobile use;
- closing the Indian Pond Trail, Bartman Junction Trail, Cotter Brook Trail, East Stony Creek Trail, and Fodder Brook Trail to snowmobile use because of their redundancy, condition, and/or isolation from other public or private snowmobile trails;
Proposals for improving access for people with disabilities include:
- opening the East Stony Creek Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the southern end of the Bartman Trail to ATV use by people with disabilities;
- constructing accessible lean-tos at Dayton Creek on the East Stony Creek Trail, and North Bend on the Oregon Trail, and
- designating ten new primitive tent sites.
Ten new primitive campsites will be added
To Review the Plan
The Draft UMP will be available for public review at DEC headquarters in Albany, DEC regional offices in Watertown and Ray Brook, and at the DEC's Northville, Warrensburg, Herkimer, Lowville, and Potsdam regional suboffices. The plan also will be available for review at the town offices of Johnsburg, Stony Creek, and Thurman in Warren County, Hope and Wells in Hamilton County, Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Greenfield, Hadley and Providence in Saratoga County, and Broadalbin in Fulton County.
Copies are available in electronic format for distribution on compact disc from the DEC's Warrensburg Office and may be requested by calling 518-623-1265. A limited number of printed copies are available as well. The complete document is also available on DEC's Unit Management Plan web page (see "Related Links" below).
To Comment
Public comments will be accepted until March 2, 2007 and may be sent to Michael Curley, NYSDEC, P.O. Box 220, Warrensburg, NY 12885, or Wilcox Lake UMP Comments.
