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Ferris Lake Wild Forest

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released the Draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Ferris Lake Wild Forest for public review and comment in October 2006.

The Department held a public meeting on November 6, 2006 at the Caroga Town Hall in Caroga Lake, NY. The meeting allowed Department staff to present a slide show detailing some of the proposals in the Draft UMP and provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the Draft UMP. The DEC accepted written comments on the Draft UMP until December 1, 2006.

Summary

The Ferris Lake Wild Forest consists of 147,454 acres of State Forest Preserve lands located on the southwestern edge of the Adirondacks in the Towns of Salisbury and Ohio in Herkimer County; the Towns of Morehouse and Arietta in Hamilton County; and the Towns of Stratford, Caroga, Oppenheim, and Ephratah in Fulton County.

The Ferris Lake Wild Forest is roughly bounded on the north and west by Route 8, on the east by Route 10, and on the south by the Adirondack Park "Blue-Line." Surrounding nearby state lands include the Black River Wild Forest and West Canada Lake Wilderness to the north, and Shaker Mountain Wild Forest and Silver Lake Wilderness to the east. The unit's most distinguishing characteristic is its old growth spruce stands which still exist and can be found along the Powley-Piseco Road, the north side of Alderbed Stream, around Blind Man's Vly, and on the slopes of Big and Little Alderbed Mountains. The attractiveness of this area lies in its numerous ponds, lakes, and streams which attract sportsman and other outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year.

The Ferris Lake Wild Forest is readily accessible by car, lying approximately 20 miles north of the Mohawk Valley. The Powley-Piseco Road, one of the last old Adirondack dirt roads, extends about 17 miles from Route 10 near Piseco Lake to Stratford, and cuts through the approximate center of this large, diverse, and interesting piece of Forest Preserve land. It provides the public with motor vehicle access through practically unbroken forest, quite comparable to some wilderness areas.

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.

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

Improving trail information and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities, including the development of accessible camping sites and two canoe access sites;
Designating and improving approximately 8.8 miles of existing unmarked foot trail and the development of approximately 7.0 miles of new foot trail;
Closing approximately 16.7 miles of snowmobile trail due to lack of public use on dead end trails, maintenance considerations, environmental concerns, and the elimination of redundant trails. The trails will remain open for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding;
Posting a number of roads against motor vehicle use, posting open roads for continued motor vehicle use, and temporarily closing one road to public motor vehicle use until it is rehabilitated. The majority of road closures involve roads less than 0.5 miles long that lead to private inholdings or do not provide significant access to DEC programs. The longer road sections begin on private lands with unclear public access rights;
Recommending reclassification of the West Lake Boat Launch to an Intensive Use Area;
Enacting special regulations to manage public use at Stewart Landing, such as parking, camping, swimming and trailered boat launching restrictions; and
Establishing and maintaining several quality fisheries.
What distinguishes this Wild Forest area is its old growth spruce. The area has some of the greatest potential for outdoor recreation, including a potential site for the extension of the North Country Scenic Trail.

If you have questions and/or comments about this UMP, please email us at: r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Draft UMP Parts: