Content deleted Content added
removed a line that felt unencyclopedic |
|||
(69 intermediate revisions by 36 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|Areas of New York state where state-owned lands mostly remain "forever wild"}}
{{multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=December 2018}}
{{essay-like|date=June 2016}}
{{update|date=June 2016}}
}}
[[Image:NYS Forest Preserve sign.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Sign at bounds of New York State Forest Preserve land.]]
[[New York (state)|New York]]'s '''Forest Preserve''',
{{As of|2022}}, the Forest Preserve covers nearly 3 million acres ({{convert|3000000|acre|km2|disp=output only}}), about 61% of all land managed by DEC. Around 2.7 million acres ({{convert|2700000|acre|km2|disp=output only}}) are in the Adirondacks while {{convert|288,000|acre|km2}} are in the Catskills.<ref>{{cite web |title=New York's Forest Preserve |url=https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4960.html |website=www.dec.ny.gov |publisher=NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation |access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref>
While today the Forest Preserve is valued largely as a [[conservation biology|conservation]] measure, its establishment in the 19th century was motivated primarily by economic considerations. Gradually its inherent worth as a nature preserve came to be seen, as it became a draw for [[recreation]] and [[tourism]]. A later amendment to Article 14 also made the lands important parts of [[water supply network]]s in the state, particularly [[New York City water supply system|New York City's]], by allowing 3% of the total lands to be flooded for the construction of [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]].▼
▲
The establishment of the Forest Preserve in the 19th century was motivated primarily by economic considerations. Over time, its importance to [[recreation]], [[tourism]], and [[conservation biology|conservation]] came to be seen.
==Origins==
===Adirondacks===
{{Main|Adirondack Park}}
[[Image:Adirondack and Catskill Parks Locator.svg|300px|thumb|left|The Adirondack (top) and Catskill parks within New York
Five years
In 1882,
===Catskills===
Line 17 ⟶ 28:
Later that year, [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster County]]'s representatives in the Assembly were trying to get the county out of a crushing [[property tax]] debt a court had ruled they owed the state. Their solution was to convey some of the land on which they owed the taxes, mostly around [[Slide Mountain (Ulster County, New York)|Slide Mountain]] to the state.
The Catskills had actually been considered when the Forest Preserve legislation was first passed, but [[Harvard University|Harvard]] [[botanist]] [[Charles Sprague Sargent]] had visited them and reported back to the legislature that it was not worth the effort as its streams did not appreciably affect the state's navigable [[waterway]]s. However, an amended version of the bill was passed, after many deals and compromises among members, that added lands in Ulster, [[Sullivan County, New York|Sullivan]] and [[Greene County, New York|Greene]] [[
One side effect of this deal is that the state pays all local and county [[property tax]]es on the Forest Preserve as if it were a commercial landowner. This has helped many local governments remain solvent as they have very little economic assets other than forest resources.
==Article
To manage the land, the state had created a
It seemed the Forest Preserve now existed only on paper. But the following year New York held a [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]], and the language of the law was written into the new state constitution with added words to close every loophole the Forest Commission had found.
This section, Article
{{cquote|The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.}}
Line 35 ⟶ 46:
Nonetheless, they would try. The new provision barely survived an attempt to gut it two years later when they again prevailed upon the legislature to approve an amendment requiring the state to "manage the land in accordance with sound timber management principles." Voters resoundingly rejected it, however, and the principle of a "forever wild" Forest Preserve has remained inviolate in New York State to this day.
Since then, over 2,000 amendments to Article
Subsections were later added to allow the construction of reservoirs and make certain that use of the land remained free to the public beyond any reasonable fee the state could charge for a particular activity.
==Acquisition of new Forest Preserve land==
===Blue Line===
In 1902, when Article
▲In 1902, when Article 14 was more a matter of settled law, the legislature realized it had to delimit where Forest Preserve would be acquired. Accordingly, that year the Adirondack Park was defined in terms of the [[county (US)|counties]] and towns within it.
Two years later, the [[Catskill Park]] followed suit. However, it was delineated not solely in terms of pre-existing political boundaries but instead through a combination of those and old [[Surveying|survey]] [[Land lot|lot]] lines, streams and [[railroad]] [[Right-of-way (railroad)|rights-of-way]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catskill State Land Master Plan |url=https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/cpslmp.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419184021/http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/cpslmp.pdf |archive-date=2009-04-19 |access-date=2021-06-01}}</ref> That proved to be a more effective and politically viable method, and accordingly the Adirondack Park Blue Line was redrawn shortly afterwards following the Catskills' example.
The park boundaries became known as the Blue Line since they were drawn, as they have been ever since, in blue ink on state maps.
While it takes only a simple majority vote of the legislature to amend either Blue Line to add land to the park, any diminution requires that two successive legislative sessions approve, consistent with the process for amending the constitution without the public vote.
Both parks have grown considerably since being created. The Catskill Park reached its present size in the late 1950s; the Adirondack Park did not cover its current domain until the early 1970s.
===Methods of land acquisition===
Line 58 ⟶ 73:
==Land classifications within the Forest Preserve==
[[ecology|Ecological]] and [[environmentalism|environmental]] awareness grew in the later years of the 20th century. Recreational use of the Forest Preserve began to rise to new levels, and newer methods of outdoor recreation became popular. These two factors led to a widespread realization that it was no long enough to simply rely on the language of Article
The Conservation Department became DEC in 1970. One of its new tasks was to implement more contemporary land management practices. But administration of the state land in both parks was (and still is) split between different regional offices, and it was hard to get them both following the same principles since they did not communicate much.
Line 64 ⟶ 79:
There was also no serious planning involved. New trails were created, or allowed to be created by outside parties, with little thought to their environmental impact or regional role. Camping was permitted anywhere, and some of the sensitive [[alpine climate|alpine environments]] in the [[Adirondack High Peaks]] were showing the effects.
Two temporary state commissions set up to consider the future course of the Adirondacks and Catskills in the early 1970s both strongly recommended that master plans be created for state lands in both parks. They also called for classifying the large tracts of state land as either [[wilderness area
Land use in the Adirondack Park is subject to the rules and [[zoning]] regulations of the sometimes-controversial Adirondack Park Agency (APA). Even the state [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Department of Environmental Conservation]] must get APA approval of its management plans for the Forest Preserve.
In the Adirondacks, several additional classifications exist due to the more diverse character of lands in the extensive area of the park: primitive area; canoe area; travel corridor; wild, scenic, and recreational rivers; and historic area.<ref>{{cite web |title=State Land Classifications - NYSDEC |url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/7811.html#I_Forest_Preserve |website=dec.ny.gov |access-date=2 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129172327/https://dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/dec-land-stewardship/state-land-classifications#I_Forest_Preserve |archive-date=29 November 2023}}</ref>
===Wilderness===▼
But there is no corresponding agency for the Catskills (largely due to the rough start experienced by the APA) and as a rule the practical impact of living within Blue Line is minor. Since the mid-1960s the state has regulated commercial highway signage within them in a manner similar to the federal [[Highway Beautification Act]] and tries to use a distinctive, rustic gold-on-brown color scheme for all its own signage within them.
New York state's wilderness areas are managed in a way essentially similar to [[U.S. Wilderness Area|their federal counterparts]]. Wilderness areas are those judged to have been far more affected by nature than humanity, to the extent that the latter is practically unnoticeable. As a result, the Forest Preserve's wildernesses boast extensive stands of virgin forest.▼
The original Forest Preserve legislation assigned the state the primary role in controlling [[Forest fire|forest fires]] within the parks, a great relief to many towns within it then as [[Steam locomotive|steam locomotives]] and [[illegal logging]] were causing numerous remote fires. DEC still has that status in what the law calls "fire towns," which include every town entirely or partially within the parks (and the Ulster County town of [[Shawangunk, New York|Shawangunk]], which has plenty of fire exposure on the [[Shawangunk Ridge|eponymous ridge]]). Fires have become much less widespread than they used to be, however, thanks to a better-educated public and state oversight.
The Catskill Park is also the only place within the state's "Southern Zone" where [[Hunting|hunters]] do not have to wear their deer tags in the woods.
▲===Wilderness area===
{{see also|List of Wilderness Areas in the Adirondack Park}}▼
▲New York
No powered vehicles are allowed in wilderness areas. Recreation is limited to passive activities such as [[hiking]], [[camping]], [[hunting]], [[birdwatching|birding]] and [[angling]] which are themselves subject to some further restrictions to ensure that they [[Leave No Trace|leave no trace]] for later recreationists. Special restrictions were recently imposed to limit impact on the largest and most popular wilderness area, the [[High Peaks Wilderness Area|High Peaks Wilderness Complex]] in the Adirondacks.
Line 78 ⟶ 101:
[[Structure]]s other than those that facilitate recreational use, such as [[bridge]]s and [[lean-to]]s, are generally not allowed, either.
The only significant difference between New York's wilderness policy and the federal government's is that the former limits the classification to contiguous parcels of at least 10,000 acres (40 km
Currently, approximately 1.1 million acres (4,400 km²) of the Forest Preserve is designated as wilderness.▼
▲{{see also|List of Wilderness Areas in the Adirondack Park}}
▲Currently, approximately 1.1 million acres (4,400 km
===Wild Forest===▼
{{see also|List of New York wild forests}}
While retaining an essentially wild character, Wild Forests are those areas which have seen higher human impact and can thus withstand a higher level of recreational use. Often these are lands which were [[logging|logged]] heavily in the recent past (sometimes right before being transferred to the state).
They might best be described as wildernesses where, within limits, powered vehicles are allowed. The wide roads left behind by logging operations make excellent trails not only for foot travel but for [[equestrianism|horses]], [[snowmobile]]s, and [[cross-country skiing]] as well. Hunters prefer to seek game in wild forests because they can use cars or trucks to transport their kills out.
Not all vehicle use is permitted, however. [[Mountain biking|Mountain bikers]] and [[all-terrain vehicle]] enthusiasts have been lobbying DEC to allow them use of some Wild Forest trails in recent years.{{when|date=June 2016}} {{As of|2005}} it appears that the former may be allowed to use some trails, particularly the old roads that lead to [[fire lookout|fire towers]] in both parks, DEC and most other users feel that even Wild Forest trails could not absorb the impact of ATVs.{{according to whom|date=June 2016}}
Powered equipment may be used to maintain trails and roads within Wild Forests.
In the Catskills, it has long been informal DEC policy{{according to whom|date=June 2016}} to treat all Wild Forest lands above {{convert|3,100|ft|m|1}} in elevation as ''de facto'' wilderness. A proposed update{{when|date=June 2016}} to the master plan for the park would not only make this formal but extend the limit to {{convert|2,700|ft|m|0}}.
===Intensive
Intensive Use areas are places like state [[campground]]s or "day use" areas (more like a small [[park#
The state's three [[ski area]]s — [[Belleayre Mountain]] in the Catskills and [[Gore Mountain (ski resort)|Gore mountain]] and [[Whiteface Mountain
There are five day-use areas in the Adirondacks and one (so far) in the Catskills.
===Administrative
This classification applies to a limited number of DEC-owned lands that are managed for other than Forest Preserve purposes. It covers a number of facilities devoted to [[research]], some [[prison]]s, and state fish [[hatchery|hatcheries]] in both parks.
Line 110 ⟶ 131:
Most Administrative Use areas are located close to public roads and are generally in fairly developed areas of their respective parks.
The law exempts some areas within the park boundaries. Land inside the territory of any [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] [[village]] or [[city]] does not have to be incorporated into the Forest Preserve. The towns of [[Altona, New York|Altona]] and [[Dannemora (town), New York|Dannemora]] are also excluded, despite being entirely or partially inside the Adirondack Blue Line, due to the large prison facilities located in them.
===Land classifications specific to Adirondack Forest Preserve lands===▼
== Land classifications in the Adirondacks ==
▲
====Primitive Area====▼
A Primitive Area is one that has much the same characteristics as wilderness area, but has some significant obstacles to receiving that status. It may have structures that cannot easily be removed within a given timeframe, or some other existing use that would complicate a wilderness designation. The designation is also applied to areas of less than the minimum area that have environments sensitive enough to require wilderness-level protection.
Line 120 ⟶ 143:
For most practical purposes, then, there is no difference between a primitive area and a wilderness area.
===
[[Canoe]] Areas are lands with a wilderness character that have enough streams, lakes and ponds to provide ample opportunities for water-based recreation.
Line 128 ⟶ 151:
Currently, the [[Saint Regis Canoe Area]] is the only such designated area in the park.
===
*''Wild'' rivers, or sections of rivers, are relatively inaccessible except by foot or horse, have no impoundments and are generally undeveloped except for foot bridges.
*''Scenic'' rivers, or sections of rivers, may have limited road access, some low-impact human use and can be impounded by log jams.
*''Recreational'' rivers, or sections of rivers, are readily accessible by road or [[railroad|rail]] and may be or have been at some point in the past developed or [[dam|impounded by artificial means]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}▼
▲*''Recreational'' rivers, or sections of rivers, are readily accessible by road or [[railroad|rail]] and may be or have been at some point in the past developed or [[dam|impounded by artificial means]].
▲====Historic Area====
These are the sites of buildings owned by the state that are significant to the [[history]], [[architecture]], [[archaeology]] or culture of the Adirondacks, those on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] or carrying or recommended for a similar state-level designation.
===
This classification refers primarily to lands not really considered for recreational use but for those sections of the Forest Preserve constituting the [[
==Forest Preserve lands outside the parks==
State law also allows DEC to classify land it acquires outside the Blue Lines, but in counties partially within the parks, as Forest Preserve. These have usually been small detached parcels rarely organized into larger, named units. Article
==Controversies==
While no one talks seriously of rescinding Article
===Adirondack Park Agency===▼
===Fire towers===
In the late 1990s a DEC forester writing a management plan for the [[Balsam Lake Wild Forest]] in the Catskills recommended that the [[fire lookout tower|fire tower]] on top of [[Balsam Lake Mountain|the similarly named mountain]] be removed and dismantled as nonconforming. He did this in the hope that someone would step forward to save not only this but the other four fire towers on state land in the Catskill Park. At that time the towers had not been used for fire control for years, and some were no longer safe to climb.▼
Someone did, and after a matching challenge to raise the money, DEC was not only able to exempt them from removal on the grounds that they contributed to the public's understanding of the Forest Preserve, but repaired all of them as well. In 1997 they were added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. All five and their accompanying [[log cabin|cabin]]s have been or will be converted into small interpretive centers, with displays identifying nearby peaks.
▲In the late 1990s a DEC forester writing a management plan for the [[Balsam Lake Wild Forest]] in the Catskills recommended that the [[fire lookout|fire tower]] on top of [[Balsam Lake Mountain|the similarly named mountain]] be removed and dismantled as nonconforming. He did this in the hope that someone would step forward to save not only this but the other four fire towers on state land in the Catskill Park. At that time the towers had not been used for fire control for years, and some were no longer safe to climb.
▲Someone did, and after a matching challenge to raise the money, DEC was not only able to exempt them from removal on the grounds that they contributed to the public's understanding of the Forest Preserve, but repaired all of them as well. In 1997 they were added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. All five and their accompanying [[log cabin|cabin]]s have been or will be converted into small interpretive centers, with displays identifying nearby peaks.
Similar campaigns were undertaken in the Adirondacks, and hikers can now even receive a patch for their backpacks by visiting all the Forest Preserve firetowers. DEC even built a new trail to the tower on Red Hill in the Catskills, as the road to it crosses private land whose owner will not permit the public to cross it.
The only fire tower still a subject of dispute is on [[Hurricane Mountain]] in the Adirondacks, since unlike the others it is within a [[Primitive Area]] classified by the DEC as the Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area.
===Canisters===
Line 178 ⟶ 189:
Also in the late 1990s, DEC, in its long-delayed management plan for the High Peaks Wilderness Complex, called for the removal of the [[summit register|canisters]] at the summits of the 20 High Peaks that lacked official trails but were nevertheless climbed frequently by the growing number of hikers seeking membership in the [[Adirondack Forty-Sixers]].
Many members felt these were an integral part of the club's identity and wanted to keep them. But in summer 2000, the 46ers' board decided to remove them as they did not feel it would be worth pursuing a [[lawsuit]] to keep them, especially with little law on their side
At the same time in the Catskills, however, the situation played out differently. The 1998 draft update to the Unit Management Plan for the [[Slide Mountain Wilderness Area]], the Catskills' counterpart to the HPWC, similarly called for the removal of four canisters from that area.
Line 186 ⟶ 197:
The different outcome is largely because the Catskills' more open forests mean that its trailless peaks actually are trailless, whereas it has been hard to say that of the Adirondack trailless peaks for some time now.
==
{{Reflist}}
▲* [[Catskill Mountain fire towers]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.dec.ny.gov# New York State Department of Environmental Conservation]
{{coord missing|New York (state)}}▼
[[Category:Nature reserves in New York (state)]]▼
▲{{coord missing|New York}}
▲[[Category:Nature reserves in New York]]
[[Category:Catskill Park]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Adirondacks]]
[[Category:Catskills]]
[[Category:New York (state) state forests]]
|