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Shaker Mountain Wild Forest

The Department of Environmental Conservation has developed a Draft Unit Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest (SMWF), and has released the Draft UMP/Draft EIS for public review. The Draft UMP/Draft EIS includes the following sections:

  • a description of the unit and overview of the its history;
  • an inventory of the unit's natural and cultural resources, man-made facilities, the public use of the unit and its capacity to withstand public use;
  • an overview of the unit's past management, as well as the principles, goals, objectives, policies, Constitutional provisions and other legal guidance that influence the management of the unit;
  • possible management alternatives and the Department's preferred alternative for each issue;
  • a schedule and estimated budget for implementation of the preferred management alternatives.

Following is a summary of the issues addressed in the Draft UMP/Draft EIS. To request a copy of the Draft UMP/Draft EIS, please contact us at:

NYSDEC
701 South Main Street
P. O. Box 1316
Northville, NY 12134
Phone: (518) 863-4545
e-mail:r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Please specify whether you would like an electronic copy on CD in PDF format or a printed copy on paper.

Summary

The Shaker Mountain Wild Forest (SMWF) is located in the southern Adirondack Park and is consists of 40,500 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in the towns of Mayfield, Bleecker, Caroga, Northampton, and Benson in Fulton and Hamilton counties. The SMWF is easily accessible from Albany, Schenectady, Amsterdam, Gloversville and Johnstown. The Northville-Lake Placid Trail has its southern terminus in the unit at the western side of the Northville Bridge. Some of the more popular recreational activities include hunting, fishing, cross country skiing, hiking to the fire tower on Kane Mountain, and snowmobiling through the area.

A partial list of recommended management actions in the Draft UMP/DEIS include:

  • Improving recreational opportunities for people with mobility impairments, including the rehabilitation of three short roads to allow ATV access by people with disabilities under permit for hunting, camping, and fishing;
  • Constructing new parking areas and foot trails including relocating part of the Northville-Placid Trail from the highway to Forest Preserve land;
  • Constructing lean-tos at West Stony Creek and Holmes Lake;
  • Preserving the Kane Mountain Fire Tower and observer cabin to facilitate educational efforts;
  • Adopting various measures to manage public use at the end of Pine Lake Road, including special regulations;
  • Facilitating snowmobile access between local communities and;
  • Upgrading the Northville Boat Launch.