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Siamese Ponds Wilderness

The Department of Environmental Conservation has developed a Proposed Final Unit Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Siamese Ponds Wilderness (SPW), and has presented the Proposed Final UMP/Draft EIS to the Adirondack Park Agency for review of compliance with the Adirondack Park State Land master Plan. The Proposed Final 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
PO Box 220
Warrensburg, NY 12885

Phone: (518) 623-1265
Fax: (518) 623-3603
e-mail:r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Executive Summary

The Siamese Ponds Wilderness (SPW) is one of the larger Wilderness designated areas in the Adirondack Park. It extends some 24 miles north and south and 18 miles east and west and contains approximately 46,138.43 hectares (114,010.1 acres) of Forest Preserve lands. Associated with the SPW are the Dug Mountain, Forks Mountain and Chatiemac Primitive Areas. During the early part of the nineteenth century, logging became an important industry in the region, and most of the Wilderness was heavily cut over. Devastating fires at the turn of the century continued to significantly impact this natural resource.

Today, however, the area shows little evidence of these past impacts and has become known for its natural beauty. Popular points of interest include the Siamese Ponds that gave the area its name, Puffer Pond, Puffer Mountain, Chimney Mountain, Auger Falls, and Thirteenth Lake.

There are several key issues related to the management of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. They include:

Horse Trails

Currently there are no designated horse trails in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, but the area does receive use from horses on non-designated trails. In general, 6 New York Codes Rules and Regulations ("NYCRR") §190.8(n) authorizes the use of state owned lands by horses and equestrians. However, the use of horses on designated foot trails is prohibited unless the trail is also specifically designated as a horse trail.

Page 22 of the APSLMP, June 2001, limits the designation of horse trails in a Wilderness area to: "those that can be developed by conversion of appropriate abandoned roads, snowmobile trails, or state truck trails." Several such abandoned roads within the Siamese Ponds Wilderness may be appropriate for horse riding. The Eleventh Mountain trail and the Old Kunjamuk Road are just two of the possibilities. These abandoned roads are both currently designated as hiking and skiing trails.

The use of horses is an excellent means by which persons with mobility impairments can access recreational programs in a wilderness setting. The use of horses in the SPW is a historical use that occurred long before the land came under public ownership. Therefore, this plan proposes the creation of several horse trails in the SPW at locations which can sustain such use and that meet the requirements of the APSLMP.

Motor Boat Use on Thirteenth Lake

Currently, there is no law or regulation that prevents the use of motor boats on Thirteenth Lake. The Garnet Hill Home Owners Association does have a 5 horse power limit on boats launched from its property, but there does not appear to be a legal limitation on the size boat that can be launched from the public access to Thirteenth Lake. Additionally, the Town of Johnsburg has passed a town law prohibiting the use of personal water craft on Thirteenth Lake. There is a physical limitation, in that a gate located approximately 500 feet from the lake prevents vehicle access and limits the boat size to those that can be pulled by hand. It is important to note that the Wilderness boundary is the shoreline of Thirteenth Lake, but does not include Thirteenth Lake.

Numerous letters and phone calls have been received requesting that motors be banned from Thirteenth Lake. The primary points of contention are that the noise, air and water pollution created by motor boats has a negative impact on the wilderness experience, and that the wake created from motor boats negatively impacts nesting loons and makes canoeing difficult.

Thirteenth Lake provides a unique experience in that a wilderness-like lake is easily accessed from a public road. This is an excellent location to develop opportunities for mobility impaired individuals. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to completely eliminate motorized use of the lake.

Several alternatives have been explored:

  • No motors.
  • Electric motors only.
  • Horse power limit on motors.
  • No regulation regarding motor size.

This plan proposes that motorized use on Thirteenth Lake be limited to electric motors only. This alternative would eliminate the noise, air and water pollution associated with gas powered engines. Furthermore, the use of electric motors would reduce the size of the wake created by boats thus minimizing the potential impact on nesting loons and other boaters on the lake. Additionally, electric motors would still allow access to the lake by those individuals who want the assistance of a motor, including persons with disabilities.

Thirteenth Lake Primitive Tent Sites

Thirteenth Lake currently has 15 primitive tent sites along its shoreline. Of these sites, 6 are clustered within 250 feet of each other at the north end of Thirteenth Lake. The APSLMP allows for primitive tent sites in Wilderness, but requires that such sites be "out of sight and sound and generally one-quarter of a mile from any other primitive tent site or lean-to." (APSLMP, June 2001, page 21) The cluster of tent sites at the north end of Thirteenth Lake would normally be considered non-conforming with these requirements.

However, the APSLMP also provides on page 25 that "where a Wilderness boundary abuts a public highway, the Department of Environmental Conservation will be permitted, in conformity with a duly adopted unit management plan to locate within 500 feet from a pubic highway right-of-way, on a site-specific basis, trailheads, parking areas, fishing and waterway access sites, picnic areas, ranger stations or other facilities for peripheral control of public use, and, in limited instances, snowmobile trails." The APSLMP therefore allows some flexibility regarding separation distance of primitive tent sites within 500 feet of the Wilderness boundary.

Another factor to consider in the discussion of alternative management strategies for primitive tent sites on Thirteenth Lake is the opportunity to provide access to the Wilderness for people with mobility impairments. This area is unique in that a wilderness setting is accessible from a public road. Furthermore, the north end of Thirteenth Lake would be an excellent location to develop accessible camping sites, due to the flat terrain and stable soils of the area, as well as ease of water access.

It is proposed that four universally accessible sites be developed at the north end of Thirteenth Lake. These sites would be available to all users on a first-come, first-served basis. A path would be hardened to each of the four sites to improve access and protect the resource. Each site would have access to a privy and fire ring that are designed to be universally accessible. The two remaining primitive tent sites at the north end of Thirteenth Lake will be closed and efforts will be taken to encourage re-vegetation. Additionally, a picnic area for day use only will be developed in this area. The picnic area will have three picnic tables and three fire rings that are designed to be accessible.

Foot and Ski Trails

There are only a few opportunities for short (less than 5 miles) day trips within this area. Most of the more popular destinations are accessed by the same trail out and back. Few, if any, of the trails provide a loop that can be easily hiked in a day. Loop trails may assist in protecting the resource and the experience by spreading use across a larger area and reducing encounters with other users. The construction of several loop trails is recommended in this UMP, particularly within those areas on the periphery of the unit that provide for hikes of less than 5 miles. All the proposed foot trails, except the Hour Pond to Peaked Mountain trail, are existing herd paths that warrant upgrading to designated foot trails.

Much of the southeastern portion of the SPW is not easily accessible due to the lack of crossings over the Sacandaga River. The 1987 SPW UMP proposed the building of a bridge over the East Branch of the Sacandaga River in the vicinity of Shanty Brook. This bridge would have provided access to the trail-less area. However, due to limited funds the bridge was never built. Without a bridge access to the trail-less area is limited during the wettest times of the year. The limited access is actually curtailing use when use can least be accommodated. A bridge a this location would encourage the use of the informal foot paths and likely result in significant degradation of the paths and the user experience. This UMP will not recommend the building of a bridge over the East Branch of the Sacandaga River in the vicinity of Shanty Brook as it is in the best interest of the Wilderness resource and user experience to leave this portion of the unit as essentially trail-less.

Fisheries

Efforts will be made to preserve, enhance and restore native Adirondack strains of brook trout in selected SPW waters. Quality Wilderness fisheries for brook trout are proposed to be established and/or maintained in as many remote waters as is practical. This would disperse angling pressure on fisheries and reduce the chances of anglers focusing on a few "blue ribbon" fisheries.

Indian Lake Designated Camping Sites

There are 20 designated camping sites located on SPW lands that were previously classified as Intensive Use as part of the Indian Lake Islands Campground. These lands were reclassified as Wilderness in 1979. As a result there are several non-conforming uses: campsites that do not conform to the 1/4 mile separation distance, picnic tables and fireplaces at most sites. An obvious solution would involve eliminating the non-conforming uses by removing the fireplaces and picnic tables. Additionally those sites that are within 1/4 mile of each other could be closed and relocated, while still retaining 20 sites. This seems obvious but has some practical limitations: it may be difficult to attain the 1/4 mile separation distance for all sites given the terrain constraints of the surrounding area.

There is currently a Department presence in the form of a caretaker and additional Operations staff associated with the Indian Lake Islands Campground. This presence in conjunction with routine patrol from the local Forest Ranger and Environmental Conservation Officer has eliminated the overuse and associated effects from it that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, such as garbage and human waste disposal, soil erosion, large groups and parties.

This plan proposes that an administrative campground be created to include those 20 campsites located in the SPW and the 35 campsites located in the adjacent Jessup River Wild Forest. As an administrative campground the land on which the camping sites are located would retain their current classification of Wilderness, Wild Forest or Intensive Use. However, as an administrative campground the campground rules and regulations would apply and be available to law enforcement personnel.

The sites located in the SPW will be brought into compliance with the APSLMP by removing the non-conforming facilities. Additionally, this plan proposes that lean-tos be built on some of the sites. Furthermore, it is proposed that 4 of the sites be relocated to adjacent Wild Forest lands to meet the minimum separation requirements.