Six Nations
The Six Nations Unit Management Plan is a ten year plan for the multiple use of approximately 21,724 acres of state forest land in Schuyler and Steuben Counties. The Six Nations Unit Management Plan was prepared by a committee of DEC professionals at the Region 8 DEC office in 1998. It is comprised of ten state forests: Goundry Hill, Sugar Hill and Coon Hollow in Schuyler County; South Bradford, West Hill, Meads Creek, Beaver Dams, Dry Run, and Erwin Hollow in Steuben County; and Cinnamon Lake State Forest in both counties.
The plan offers general information on the unit's history and geology, an inventory of the unit's resources, such as vegetative types and stages, fish, wildlife and habitat, and a summary of identified issues. It also describes the proposed goals and objectives along with policy considerations for managing the unit.
The vision of the plan is to ensure the biological integrity, improvement and protection of the Six Nations Management Unit. This shall be done within the multiple use concept of management, which strives to serve the needs of the people of New York State by providing a broad based, biologically diverse ecosystem. Objectives of the plan include maintaining and enhancing a diversity of vegetative types and stages, together with the wildlife and cultural resources of the area. Additionally, there are provisions for recreational facilities such as the Sugar Hill Recreation Area, Finger Lakes/North Country Trail, and the Six Nations Horse-Snowmobile Trail. Cultural resources such as the Sugar Hill Fire Tower, the Pine Creek CCC Campsite, CCC water holes, stump fences and stone walls are singled out for further protection in the plan.
Six Nations Unit Management Plan Re-Write
The process to re-write the Six Nations Unit Management Plan has started. We invite you to provide us with any comments or concerns regarding the management of the Six Nations Unit. Your comments may be general or specific. The revised plan has not been drafted, but the 1998 plan is available for review. It includes historical information, natural resources inventories, and proposed management strategies. Topics to be covered include timber and wildlife management, public access, recreation, gas leasing, prescribed burns, and much more. The UMP committee will review the objectives and actions of the current plan. The revised plan will include new actions, on-going actions and removal of other actions. Your input is appreciated as part of this process.
Comments, concerns or suggestions may be mailed to the Bath Sub-office, emailed to r8ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us or be made in person at an open house on January 22, 2009. The open house will be from 2 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm, in the Conference room of the Bath Sub-office located at 7291 Coon Rd, in Bath, NY. Coon Rd is located just north of exit 39 of I86, for additional information or accommodations please contact us.
The draft plan is expected to be released by the fall of 2010. Once the draft plan is completed, the public will again be invited to review it and attend a public meeting to share your views on the draft UMP. Comments will be weighed against law, regulations, Commissioner directives and other public comments before changes are made to the draft plan. Questions and/or comments made at the public meeting will be noted in the final UMP.
To include individual and group concerns in the plan's development, comments are encouraged and will be accepted at any time throughout the process. A copy of the 1998 Six Nations Unit Management Plan can be viewed at as a pdf at the bottom of this page, or hardcopies are available at the Bath or Avon NYS DEC offices, which are located at 7291 Coon Rd, Bath, NY or 6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd, Avon, NY. Please take a few moments to reflect on your own interests in the state's land by attending the public meeting, email us at r8ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us, or sending us some comments in the mail.
Six Nations UMP (PDF, 559 KB)
