For Release: Friday, December 29, 2006

DEC Issues Draft Unit Management Plan for Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Public Meeting Scheduled for January 24 at the Wells Central School

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the release of the Draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. The unit consists of roughly 125,000 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in the southern Adirondacks in the towns of Johnsburg, Stony Creek, and Thurman in Warren County; Wells and Hope in Hamilton County; Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Greenfield, Hadley, and Providence in Saratoga County; and Broadalbin in Fulton County.

"We are continuing to make progress on completing unit management plans in the Adirondack Forest Preserve," Commissioner Sheehan said. "The release of the Draft UMP for the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is another significant milestone in our efforts to improve public access and ensure the protection of the Adirondacks for future generations. As always, the public's participation has been extremely valuable throughout the planning process to date, providing us with important information and recommendations incorporated into the Draft UMP."

A public meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on January 24, 2007 at the Central School in Wells. The meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposals in the Draft UMP. The DEC will also accept written comments on the Draft UMP until March 2, 2007. The Wells Central School is located on State Route 30, approximately 1.5 miles north of the bridge over Lake Algonquin and is wheelchair accessible. Please provide any requests for specific accommodation by calling (518) 623-1265 at least two weeks in advance.

The Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is generally bounded on the north by State Route 8, on the west by State Route 30, on the south by the Adirondack Blueline, and on the east by the Hudson River. The unit offers many recreational opportunities, including but not limited to hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, mountain biking, canoeing, hunting, and fishing. Scattered primitive tent sites offer camping opportunities adjacent to area waters and trails. Almost eighty miles of marked trails are available, allowing the public to easily reach a variety of natural attractions such as Crane Mountain or Pine Orchard, or popular fishing and camping locations at Wilcox Lake and Round Pond. Other large waterbodies, including Garnet Lake, provide for a greater variety of recreational uses and are popular ice fishing locations. The Hudson River, East Stony Creek and other large waterways enable the public to experience a unique flatwater environment.

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

Constructing a new hiking trail to Moose Mountain near the Sacandaga Public Campground in the Town of Wells;
designating new hiking trails to Eagle Pond in the Town of Johnsburg and Little Joe Pond in the Town of Thurman;
reconfiguring the unit's snowmobile trail system to improve connections between communities and to adhere to Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan guidelines regarding "no material increase" in snowmobile trail mileage. These proposals include: constructing a short new trail off Tucker Road in Stony Creek;
rerouting a trail near Georgia Creek in Wells by Route 8;
designating the Old Armstrong Road in Johnsburg for snowmobile use;
closing the Indian Pond Trail, Bartman Junction Trail, Cotter Brook Trail, East Stony Creek Trail, and Fodder Brook Trail to snowmobile use because of their redundancy, condition, and/or isolation from other public or private snowmobile trails;
improving access for people with disabilities, including:
- opening the East Stony Creek Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the southern end of the Bartman Trail to ATV use by people with disablities;
- constructing accessible lean-tos at Dayton Creek on the East Stony Creek Trail and North Bend on the Oregon Trail; and
designating ten new primitive tent sites.

A UMP must be completed before significant new recreational facilities, such as trails, lean-tos, or parking areas can be constructed. The plan includes an analysis of the natural features of the area and the ability of the land to accommodate public use. The planning process is designed to cover all environmental considerations for the unit and forms the basis for all proposed management activities for a five-year time period.

UMPs are required by the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan for each unit of State land in the Adirondack Park. The plans integrate the goals and objectives of the Master Plan, related legislation, and resource and visitor-use information into a single document. Implementation of the UMP management actions will provide protection of the natural resources of the Forest Preserve and outdoor recreational opportunities for the people of the State.

Governor George E. Pataki's strategic plan to complete unit management plans for all State Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks is continuing. Governor Pataki's initiative is the first comprehensive attempt to complete all outstanding management plans in both the Adirondack and Catskill Parks to ensure that the public's longstanding investment in the acquisition of public lands is maximized through careful planning and implementation of those plans. This, coupled with allocation of funds to the stewardship of these lands from the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) will dramatically improve the State's ability to manage these lands.

The Draft UMP will be available for public review at DEC headquarters in Albany, DEC regional offices in Watertown and Ray Brook, and at the DEC's Northville, Warrensburg, Herkimer, Lowville, and Potsdam regional suboffices. The plan also will be available for review at the town offices of Johnsburg, Stony Creek, and Thurman in Warren County, Hope and Wells in Hamilton County, Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Greenfield, Hadley and Providence in Saratoga County, and Broadalbin in Fulton County.

Copies are available in electronic format for distribution on compact disc from the DEC's Warrensburg Office and may be requested by calling (518)623-1265. A limited number of printed copies are available as well. The complete document will be available on DEC's Unit Management Plan.

Public comments will be accepted until March 2, 2007 and may be sent to Michael Curley, NYSDEC, P.O. Box 220, Warrensburg, NY 12885, or emailed to r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us