Shaping the future management of High Peaks: Public meeting set

Input sought for improving visitors’ experiences in High Peaks Wilderness

By Mike Lynch

Leaders of a project intended to improve visitors’ experiences in the High Peaks Wilderness are set to host a second public information session next week. Those involved are encouraging the public to attend after some participants say the process got off to a rocky start. 

The meeting on the High Peaks Visitor Use Management project is being held virtually and is hosted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Otak, the consulting firm hired by the state to lead the endeavor. It is scheduled for June 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those interested in participating must register to attend.  

The two-year project is using a process created by federal agencies for managing public lands. This is the first time it’s been used in the park.

The initiative started in February 2023 and is to result in a set of management recommendations for the DEC to consider for the High Peaks Wilderness. Those recommendations will be based on a set of “desired conditions” based on feedback from the public, stakeholders and data. They are meant to improve visitors’ experiences and protect natural resources.

The process so far

Over the past year, Otak has gathered data from High Peaks users through surveys in the field and online. They also hosted a public information session in  May 2023 in Saranac Lake and had several meetings with stakeholders. 

At the upcoming meeting, Otak will provide an overview of the project, including its purpose and expected outcomes. It will review the draft of desired conditions and explain how carrying capacities and thresholds will be developed. 

The public will also be invited to share potential management strategies for achieving the desired conditions, which relate to visitor experience, facility development, natural resource protection and recreation opportunities. 

The state, Otak, and stakeholders are encouraging the public to attend. 

“The more people (who) understand the process, the better the process is,” said Adirondack Mountain Club Deputy Director Julia Goren. “The more people participate in the process, the better the process is.” 

Mixed reviews

So far, the process has received mixed reviews. Stakeholders raved about it after the first meeting, but some expressed concern that the state didn’t advise Otak to get feedback before they collected field data on High Peaks users last year.

“I do have some concerns about the level of participation that’s been allowed to a stakeholder like the town of Keene, who I think has a lot of experience here and a lot to offer,” Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson said.

The Adirondack Mountain Club expressed similar concerns in a statement from its executive director Michael Barrett. 

“The process got off to a poor start given that stakeholders were offered an opportunity to engage around data collection only after the field work had been conducted (which deprived organizations from offering valuable insight about sampling logistics),” Barrett said. 

But Barrett did note that Otak has been responsive by , adding meetings to discuss information collected.

“While the process hasn’t been perfect, ADK has appreciated the responsiveness of Otak and the willingness to course correct,” he said. “We hope this type of engagement remains consistent throughout the effort.”

Looking ahead

But not everyone has had problems with the process. 

Will Roth, president of the Adirondack Climbers Coalition, has been satisfied so far and said Otak “has done a fairly good job of at least engaging all of the different stakeholders.” 

He expects the process to get more contentious once it gets to the solutions stage. 

“I think that is going to be where the stakeholders and the public are really going to come into play to voice their opinions because I think there’s a lot of difference of opinions about how those things should be done,” Roth said.

Those strategies are scheduled to be presented to stakeholders later this summer and be up for public comment in the fall. 

Jackie Bowen, director of conservation for the Adirondack Council, said the process has gone differently from what people expected but that is understandable.

“I think that we’re on the trajectory to get really solid management recommendations from Otak,” she said. 

Top photo: Hikers descend Mount Marcy by Mike Lynch