New York State Banner
D E C banner
D E C banner

Moose River Plains Wild Forest

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released the Draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Moose River Plains Wild Forest for public review and comment in March 2006.

The Department held two public meetings; on March 30, 2006, at the Inlet Town Hall and on April 20, 2006, at the Department's headquarters in Albany. Department staff presented the proposals of the draft UMP and gave the public the opportunity to comment on the proposals. Public comment was significant and prompted the Department to extend the public comment period to September 22, 2006 on the Draft UMP, as well as craft an Addendum that proposes: 1). changes to the snowmobile trail configurations in the unit, and 2). the Special Area Plan (SAP) for the Great Camps Historic Area.

To request a copy of the Draft UMP and/or the Addendum please contact:

Keith Rivers, Senior Forester
NYSDEC
7327 State Route 812
Lowville, NY 13367
Phone: (315) 376-3521

Please specify whether you would like an electronic copy on compact disc or a paper copy.

Questions and comments on this UMP may be e-mailed to r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Summary

The Moose River Plains Wild Forest is bounded on the north by the Pigeon Lakes Wilderness Area, Raquette Lake and the Blue Ridge Wilderness, on the east and the south by the West Canada Lakes Wilderness and the private lands of the Adirondack League Club, and on the west by the Fulton Chain Lakes and State Route 28. It is the largest block of remote lands in the Adirondacks readily accessible by motor vehicle and includes the Red River, the South Branch of the Moose River and the 675 acre Cedar River Flow.

The Moose River Plains Wild Forest offers many recreational opportunities, including hiking, skiing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, canoeing, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and primitive camping. Miles of marked trails and numerous lakes and ponds make this unit an ideal destination for recreationists with varied interests and abilities.

The draft UMP contains:

  • An inventory of natural resources and man-made facilities;
  • An inventory of actual and projected public use, and an assessment of the potential impacts of public use on natural resources and the public enjoyment of the area;
  • An assessment of the physical, biological and social carrying capacity of the area; and
  • A statement of management objectives to address the protection and rehabilitation of the area's natural resources, the control of public use, the removal of nonconforming uses, opportunities for additional recreational use and the need for new facilities.

Significant management proposals include:

  • Bringing existing campsites into conformance with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan;
  • Designating several campsites for use by large groups (up to 20 persons);
  • Closing lightly used or dead-end snowmobile trails;
  • Constructing a multipurpose bridge over the South Branch of the Moose River on the Sly Pond Trail;
  • Providing improved hunting, fishing and camping access for persons with disabilities;
  • Modernizing the Seventh Lake Boat Launch; and
  • Establishing an historic Great Camps Special Management Area.

Draft UMP ADDENDUM (August 2006):

Proposed Snowmobile Trail Reconfiguration and Great Camps Special Area Plan (997 kb pdf)

Historic Great Camps Special Area Plan Map (450 kb pdf)

Draft UMP (March, 2006):

Entire Moose River Plains Wild Forest Draft UMP (5.6 mb pdf - This file is very large and may take a long time to download or even cause some computers to crash)

Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, Preface, and Sections I - VI (921 kb pdf)

Appendices 1 - 14 (342 kb pdf)

Appendix 15 (846 kb pdf)

Appendix 16 (725 kb pdf)

Appendices 17 - 20 (752 kb pdf)

Appendix 21 - Historic Great Camps Special Management Area Map (517 kb pdf)

Unit Map with Existing Facilities (556 kb pdf)

Unit Map with Proposed Facilities (533 kb pdf)

Unit Map with Hydrology (597 kb pdf)

Unit Map with Potential Wildlife Habitat (495 kb pdf)