Proposed changes to leading policy document for state-own lands to be unveiled Thursday
By Gwendolyn Craig
The leading policy document governing state lands in the Adirondack Park is due for updating by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), which plans to add climate change, accessibility to lands for people with disabilities and visitor use management work, among other new topics to its pages.
Edits to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan will be proposed at APA’s Thursday meeting in Ray Brook and broadcast online. APA staff will seek board approval to review the amendment proposals under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, leading to public hearings and a comment period.
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The plan, first created in 1972, must be updated every five years. It was last edited in August 2019.
While the park is a mix of public and private lands, the plan governs the approximately 2.9 million acres of state land protected by the state Constitution’s “forever wild” clause. These lands are administered by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The APA oversees public and private development in the park.
The Adirondack Park Agency meets at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 at its offices in Ray Brook. To listen remotely, go to tinyurl.com/APASept2024Thu or call 1-518-549-0500 Access code: 2332 925 5665.
Climate change
For the first time, the state will have to describe how its plans for state land units in the park address “climate change vulnerabilities specific to the unit,” according to the draft.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires state agencies to consider whether projects are “inconsistent with or will interfere with the attainment of the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits.” The APA has been under fire from some environmental organizations, including Protect the Adirondacks, for not directly addressing this charge in the climate act.
Proposed edits now appear to, at least for state land planning. The draft says “it is imperative to view all policy and planning decisions through the lens of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.” If the edits are adopted, unit management plans will now have to include plans for climate change mitigation including more sustainable trail construction, green infrastructure and storm water mitigation.
RELATED READING: The long wait for forest preserve plans
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Accessibility amendments
Another first in the master plan will be addressing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Unit management plans in the park will now include ways the state proposes to “improve access to and enjoyment of” the area by people with disabilities.
The edits note that “wheelchairs are allowed on state lands anywhere that pedestrian access is permitted. The DEC is responsible for interpreting federal regulations and guidance to determine where the use of Other Power Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMDs) may be appropriate.”
The definition of a wheelchair and an Other Power Driven Mobility Device are also now included in the draft.
Visitor use management and carrying capacity
Carrying capacity, a term that has been used to describe the maximum amount of something an environment can withstand before seeing negative impacts, is elaborated on in the proposed amendments.
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The state is currently conducting studies of hiker numbers on popular High Peaks region mountains and identifying what management actions may be needed.
The APA amendments suggest management should be adaptive and a number of strategies besides limiting a number of visitors should be used.
Other edits
Some other proposed edits include:
· Striking an old 1987 deadline for the state to remove all non-conforming structures and having no deadline;
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· Allowing for beaver control structures in some circumstances;
· Creating a case-by-case basis for APA approval of administrative motor vehicle use for removing non-conforming structures;
· Distinguishing between full conservation easements and other kinds of easements on private lands in the park,
· Adding bicycle trails to a list of conforming improvements allowed in wild forest areas; and
· Clarifying where horse mounting platforms are allowed.
Top photo: The Adirondack Park Agency’s headquarters in Ray Brook. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig
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