For Release: Monday, December 29, 2008

Public Invited to Session on Virgil Mountain, Tri-County Uplands

DEC to Unveil Proposals for Expanded Accessibility on 10,629 acres in Tompkins, Cortland and Tioga Counties

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will hold a public meeting to accept public comments on draft unit management plans (UMP) for Virgil Mountain and Tri-County Uplands, which cover 10,629 acres in Tompkins, Cortland and Tioga counties. Highlights include proposals to expand accessibility and trails.

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at the Forum Room, Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3), 170 North Street, Dryden, New York 13053. If TC3 is closed, for adverse weather conditions (check local TV and radio stations or TC3's website at http://www.tc3.edu/), the meeting instead will take place on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. also at the Forum Room.

DEC manages state lands multiple benefits to serve the people of New York State. The UMPs cover five state forests. The Virgil Mountain UMP includes the James D. Kennedy State Forest and the Tuller Hill State Forest. The Tri-County Uplands UMP includes Robinson Hollow State Forest, Andersen Hill State Forest, and Potato Hill State Forest. The proposed UMPs will help maintain healthy, sustainable, and biologically diverse ecosystems for fish and wildlife, while providing continued opportunities for forest product sales, recreational use, environmental education and research.

The five state forests covered by the proposed plans currently offer many recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, bird watching, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, trapping, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and all terrain vehicle (ATV) access for people with mobility impairments. New recreational facilities proposed in the plans include:

Two parking areas at Tuller Hill State Forest.
A parking area at Robinson Hill State Forest.
A 2.5-mile all-terrain vehicle trail loop for people with accessibility needs at Robinson Hollow State Forest.
A 1.8-mile all-terrain vehicle trail loop expansion for people with accessibility needs at James D. Kennedy State Forest.
Informational kiosk installations and production of brochures for all State Forests in the UMPs.

The UMPs contain proposed maintenance projects for roads and boundary lines. A detailed schedule of other activities such as natural resource inventories, forest product sales, and survey requests are also included in the UMPs.

Persons are invited to come to the meeting to express their ideas and opinions about the plans. The public meeting will begin with an open house format, which will allow the public to met informally with staff, discuss their concerns and provide written comments. Beginning at 7:10 p.m., there will be an presentation by state foresters offering an overview of the two UMPs. This will be followed by an official public comment period, beginning at approximately 7:30 pm. Those unable to attend the meeting may submit comments to the DEC by mail (NYSDEC, Division of Lands and Forests, 1285 Fisher Avenue, Cortland, NY ) or e-mail: hcdedric@gw.dec.state.ny.us for the Virgil Mountain UMP and jmclancy@gw.dec.state.ny.us for the Tri-County Uplands UMP).

Copies of the plans are posted on the DEC's website. The plans are also available, for public review, at the following locations:

DEC Region 7 Headquarters, 615 Erie Blvd. West, Syracuse.
DEC Region 7 Sub-office, 1285 Fisher Ave., Cortland.
Berkshire Free Library, 12519-1 State Rte. 38, Berkshire (Tri-County only).
Peck Memorial Library, East Main St., Marathon (Virgil Mountain only).
Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St., Cortland.
Southworth Library, 24 West Main St., Dryden.
Tompkins County Public Library,101 East Green St., Ithaca.
Town of Dryden, 93 East Main St., Dryden.
Town of Virgil, 1176 Church St., Virgil (Virgil Mountain only).
Town of LaPeer, 2685 Clark's Corners Rd., LaPeer (Virgil Mountain only).
Town of Harford, 394 State Rte. 38, Harford.
Town of Richford, Bowery Lane, Richford (Tri-County only).
Town of Caroline, 2670 Slaterville Rd., Slaterville Springs (Tri-County only).
Cortland County Planning Department, 37 Church St., Cortland.
Tioga County Department of Economic Development & Planning, County Office Building, 56 Main St., Owego.
Tompkins County Planning Department, 121 East Court St., Ithaca.

Limited copies are available in print form and digital format on compact discs from the Cortland office and may be requested by calling (607) 753-3095 ext. 217. Comments on the plans will be accepted until Feb. 13, 2009.