DEC Seeking
Your Input to Help them Prepare the
Unit Management Plan for the
Taylor Pond Wild
Forest Area
The New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has begun the development
of a unit management plan (UMP) for the Taylor Pond Wild Forest.
This area encompasses approximately 43,000 acres of state land
in 13 towns in the northeastern region of the Adirondack Park.
The plan will also address thousands
of acres of conservation easement lands, and the 715-acre Wickham
Marsh and 68-acre Pauline Murdoch Wildlife Management Areas.
This area consists of 14,000 acres in towns of Wilmington and
Keene in Essex County and the town of Black Brook in Clinton
County.
The core of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest is located in the region
around Taylor Pond, Silver Lake and Union Falls flow, in the
town of Franklin in Franklin County and the town of Black Brook
in Clinton County . Other parcels of the Wild Forest are located
in the towns of Ausable, Peru, and Saranac in Clinton County,
and the towns of Chesterfield, Elizabethtown, Essex, Jay, Lewis,
St. Armand, Westport and Willsboro in Essex County.
A UMP must be completed for this area before significant new
recreational facilities, such as trails, lean-tos, parking areas
or tent-sites can be constructed. The UMP that will be developed
for the Taylor Pond Unit must balance any recreational uses with
the protection of the natural resources of the area.
The summits of Silver Lake, Poke-O-Moonshine and Catamount Mountains
are the three most popular summit destinations for hikers in
the Wild Forest. Popular recreational activities in this area
are hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling,
skiing and snowshoeing. There are several camping areas in the
unit and the rivers and ponds provide excellent boating and paddling
opportunities.
The Wickham Marsh Wildlife Management Area is located on the
shore of Lake Champlain near Port Kent and is rich in biological
diversity. Containing three significant rare peatland communities,
its wetlands and surrounding uplands provide important habitat
for many wildlife species. The site is managed for numerous recreational
and scientific purposes, including: natural resources education,
wildlife observation and photography, fishing, trapping, hunting,
and canoeing. One of the primary objectives is to provide nesting
and feeding habitat to a variety of waterfowl.
The 68.5 acre Pauline Murdock
Wildlife Management Area is located in the town of Elizabethtown
in Essex County. In 1974, the property was received as a gift
from Mr. Robert B. Murdock, in memory of his wife Pauline. It
was accepted as a state refuge to enhance and perpetuate local
wildlife.
You Have an
Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of the Taylor Pond Wild
Forest.
Please Send your Comments to DEC.
Please provide DEC with your
comments on the Taylor Pond Wild Forest to help them prepare
the draft UMP for the area. 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
provide written comments or be included on a mailing list about
the development of the UMP for Taylor Pond Wild Forest, please
contact:
Daniel Levy
NYS DEC,
P.O. Box 296
Ray Brook, NY 12977
518-897-1276
r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us
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