DEC Seeking
Your Input to Help them Prepare the
Unit Management Plan for the McKenzie
Mountain Wilderness Area
The New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has begun
the development of a unit management plan (UMP) the McKenzie
Mountain Wilderness Area.
The 36,200-acre
McKenzie Mountain Wilderness located in western Essex County
and includes Forest Preserve lands in the Towns of North Elba,
St.Armand and Wilmington.
The McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
is bordered on the north by the Saranac River, the Franklin Falls
Reservoir, and the Wilmington-Franklin Falls Road; on the east
by Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway, the Whiteface Mountain
Ski Center and the West Branch of the Ausable River; on the south
by Lake Placid and Route 86; and on the west by the Saranac River
and Moose Pond.
The McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
Area conatins McKenzie Mountain, Moose Mountain and the western
slopes of Whiteface Mountain. It's boundary waters include the
Saranac and Ausable Rivers, Moose and McKenzie Ponds, Lake Placid
and the Franklin Falls Reservoir.
Some issues to be addressed in the planning process include:
- the illegal use of mountain
bikes.
- access into the wilderness from the north.
-trail access from the shores of Lake Placid.
You
Have an Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of the
West Canada Lake Wilderness Area.
Please Send your Comments to DEC
Please send your comments
to DEC. In your own words and using any personal experiences
or expertise you may have in these areas, tell the staff:
- The new UMP must be consistent
with Article XIV, the Forever Wild Clause, of the New York State
Constitution, with the State Land Master Plan and with other
pertinent laws and the DEC's Rules and Regulations.
- The DEC must conduct thorough
natural resource studies to identify rare and endangered species
habitats, critical wildlife areas and other sensitive places
in these areas.
- The DEC should include appropriate
recreational opportunities in these areas where those activities
will not harm the natural resources.
To
submit your written comments, please contact:
Supervising
Forester Kris Alberga
NYSDEC
PO Box 296
Ray Brook, New York 12977-0296
518-897-1291
r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us.
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