According to New York State Forest Ranger Lee, on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 4:30 pm, he overheard radio traffic from Herkimer County 911 reporting a snowmobile accident on Stillwater Reservoir in the Town of Webb. Herkimer County 911 indicated there were two accidents and both victims were at the Stillwater Restaurant. [Read more…] about Lake Ice Related to Snowmobile Death, Serious Accident
snowmobiling
DEC & APA Defy The Courts And Keep Unconstitutional Trails Open
It’s been nearly two years since the New York Court of Appeals, the State’s highest court, ruled that extra-wide Class II Community Connector Snowmobile Trails designed, approved, and constructed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) violate Article 14, Section 1, of the New York State Constitution, the famed the “Forever Wild” clause.
The high court’s decision followed a decision in 2019 by the Appellate Division, Third Department, that Class II trails violate Article 14. The Court of Appeals decision came out in May 2021 and we’re now into our second winter where the DEC and APA continue to operate unconstitutional Class II trails as if the courts have not ruled against them. Protect the Adirondacks is now back in court in an effort to get the state to comply with the appellate court decisions. [Read more…] about DEC & APA Defy The Courts And Keep Unconstitutional Trails Open
Bridge Completes New Oswego County Little Sandy Creek Trail
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of the Little Sandy Creek Bridge, a 110-foot structure that extends over Little Sandy Creek in the Winona State Forest.
The newly constructed bridge, located in the town of Boylston, Oswego County, is part of the new one-mile Little Sandy Creek Trail, completed this fall in partnership with the Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA). [Read more…] about Bridge Completes New Oswego County Little Sandy Creek Trail
ATV Goes Through Lake Ice; Man Dies In Snowmobile Crash
On December 20th, Retired Forest Ranger Lieutenant Morse reported an ATV broke through the ice on Waneta Lake in Willowemoc Wild Forest in the Catskills town of Rockland, Sullivan County. Ranger Stratton responded and issued tickets to the two subjects from Pennsylvania for unauthorized motor vehicle use on state land. A tow company removed the ATV from the lake.
Two days later, on December 22, 2022, at around 3:12 am, State Police responded to a report of a snowmobile crash with injuries on a snowmobile trail off the Wallace Road in the town of Louisville. Louisville is located along the St. Lawrence River, on the northern border of St. Lawrence County west of Massena. [Read more…] about ATV Goes Through Lake Ice; Man Dies In Snowmobile Crash
Preparing For The Upcoming Snowmobile Season
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Snowmobile Bureau is reminding snowmobilers that despite the large snowfalls in the Tug Hill and in western New York, snowmobile trails are not open at this time.
For public safety reasons, grooming generally may not begin until the closure of Big Game hunting season. Snowmobilers should exercise restraint when operating snowmobiles before the start of the season. [Read more…] about Preparing For The Upcoming Snowmobile Season
Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms
2022 may end up as the year some of the most important reforms in New York State Forest Preserve management were started, both in practice and in theory.
Forest Preserve management reform has been a long time coming as the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which is responsible for the care and custody of the Forest Preserve, has struggled for years with how to improve its overall management program.
Small changes have been attempted at various points, but no major reforms have been successfully brought to the DEC’s Forest Preserve management. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms
Man Arrested For Stealing From A Snowmobile Club
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Warren County District Attorney Jason M. Carusone and the New York State Police, have announced the arrest of former Lake Luzerne trustee Mark McLain for allegedly swindling $127,723.84 from the South Warren Snowmobile Club (SWSC), McLain was charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. [Read more…] about Man Arrested For Stealing From A Snowmobile Club
Comments Sought on Herkimer County’s Three Lakes Easement
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft recreation management plan (RMP) for the Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement in the town of Webb, Herkimer County.
The 3,350-acre Three Lakes Tract (TLT) is comprised of commercially managed forestland and is named for three waterbodies located on the property-Hitchcock, Grass, and Moose ponds. The RMP will address public recreational access and facilities consistent with the conservation easement. The public comment period is open until July 1st, 2022. [Read more…] about Comments Sought on Herkimer County’s Three Lakes Easement
Comments On Increasing Adirondack Park Road, Snowmobile Trail Mileage Sought
The Adirondack Park Agency Board, at its May 2022 meeting, authorized a 60-day public comment period to solicit comments to help inform the Board’s interpretation of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan’s “Wild Forest Basic Guideline No. 4” which calls for no material increase of road mileage on lands classified as Wild Forest.
The APA’s interpretation of Basic Guideline No. 4 could establish a new baseline for road mileage on Wild Forest classified lands. [Read more…] about Comments On Increasing Adirondack Park Road, Snowmobile Trail Mileage Sought
Forest Rangers Recover Bodies, Respond to Snowmobile Accident, Wild Fire, Illegal Off-Roaders
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Recover Bodies, Respond to Snowmobile Accident, Wild Fire, Illegal Off-Roaders