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DEC
Announces New Conceptual Plan and Information Pages
to
Improve Outdoor Recreation and Promote Tourism in the Adirondacks
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‘Hut-to-Hut’
Destination-based Trail System Plan Developed
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Adirondack Backcountry
Information Web Pages Revamped
to Include Detailed
Western Adirondacks Trail Information
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Albany,
NY – May 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / New York State has partnered with
the Five Towns of the Upper Hudson Recreation Hub to develop tourist destinations
that rely on the extensive trail network of the Adirondack Park and existing
and potential lodging opportunities,
Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos
announced. The resulting ‘Concept
Plan for a Hut-to-Hut Destination-based Trail System for the Five Towns
of Long Lake, Newcomb, Indian Lake, Minerva, and North Hudson’ represents
26 trail or “traverse” opportunities for visitors to the Five Towns region
of the Adirondack Park that involve overnight stays and multi-day hikes.
In addition, DEC’s Adirondack Trail Information web pages have been reorganized,
reformatted and now include information for the western Adirondacks.
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“Governor
Cuomo has demonstrated time and again his commitment to making the Adirondacks
a destination for visitors and tourists from around the world,” said DEC
Acting Commissioner Seggos. “The Plan unveiled will lead to improved public
access to the Forest Preserve coupled with lodging, for the benefit of
tourists, sportsmen and women, outdoor enthusiasts of all types and the
people and communities of the Five Towns region of the Adirondack Park.
The new trail information page launched today will also further promote
the region, while keeping visitors apprised on a weekly basis of all the
trail updates across the Adirondacks.”
Traverses
are hikes that begin in communities, go into the “back country” and end
in another community. The concept is to link communities and amenities
through the state’s extensive land holdings and identify gaps that can
be filled by new amenities on private lands or temporary “huts” on State
Forest Preserve lands.
The
Five Towns surround the 65,000 acres of the former Finch lands that have
been added to the state Forest Preserve. The Hub area encompasses a total
of 1,293 square miles, including 485,000 acres of state forest preserve
lands and 341,000 acres of private land. It contains 154 linear miles of
wild, scenic and recreational rivers, including 36 linear miles of the
magnificent Hudson River, 305 linear miles of foot trails including 47
miles of the Northville Placid Trail; mountain ranges, the Santanoni Great
Camp, the historic McIntyre Works at Tahawus, 62 lean-tos, 195 primitive
campsites and many other amenities.
Hut-to-Hut
Concept Plan Details
The
new proposed multi-use Hut-to-Hut trail system will draw visitors that
seek a destination-based experience to visit for more than one day at a
time, providing access to lodging and amenities along the way. This new
recreational opportunity will provide another economic boost to the Adirondack
communities by creating incentives for the expansion of local lodging and
amenities for visitors.
The
system will utilize existing lodging whenever possible to create a spectrum
of lodging from platform tents to yurts to eco-lodges, to existing bed
& breakfasts, rental cabins and five-star hotels. It will range from
low-cost, hostel-type lodging to expensive, amenity-rich, upscale lodging.
Some lodgings will be self-service, where visitors prepare their own meals,
while other lodgings will be full service accommodations and provide meals.
An
Adirondack Hut system will be designed to accommodate visitors year round.
The winter season frequently is cited as the season with the biggest tourism
growth potential in the Adirondacks. Lodging that provides a warm, comfortable
place to stay and accommodates skiers and snowshoers will attract people
from around the world.
The
Concept Plan was requested by the Five Towns, and includes:
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Talking
with dozens of stakeholders, including lodging owners/managers, private
landowners, DEC field personnel, local and regional government officials,
representatives of environmental organizations, and others, to gain their
knowledge and perspectives;
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Conducting
approximately twenty reconnaissance trips, some with DEC staff, private
landowners, and other interested parties;
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Creating
a GIS inventory of existing lodging by utilizing information available
on town websites, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism’s (ROOST)
database, and other sources;
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Identifying,
based on research, twenty-six conceptual routes that connect communities,
and over thirty strategic locations for lodging along those routes.
A lodging
and trails system that improves and diversifies the outdoor recreation
experience of park visitors by implementing regional networks throughout
the park, eventually linked together in a parkwide system, will:
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Create
regional tourism destinations and more sustainable communities by expanding
the tourist-based economy and increasing multiple overnight stays;
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Provide
physical fitness and other wellness opportunities for tourists and residents
alike;
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Promote
conservation by broadening the demographic constituency for protecting
the Adirondacks, focusing backcountry camper impact and modeling green
building practices;
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Increase
international awareness of the Adirondack Park; and
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Utilize
existing and new lodging about 8-12 miles apart that is connected by trails.
DEC engaged
Leading E.D.G.E., LLC to develop this plan. Leading E.D.G.E. worked cooperatively
with DEC, the Adirondack Park Agency, the Department of State and the local
towns on their ongoing efforts to expand outdoor recreational opportunities
in the Adirondack Park.
In
recent years New York State, with the full cooperation of local municipalities,
is embarking on a number of plans to knit the state-managed lands with
communities and private holdings that complement one another. Stakeholders
such as the towns, the Common Ground Alliance, conservation organizations,
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry,
and the Adirondack Park Agency are working on a number of planning activities
to accomplish the integration of state lands with private and municipal
holdings for the economic benefit of the region and the environmental protection
of the Adirondack Park.
To
view a copy of the Hut-to-Hut
Trail Plan, visit DEC’s website.
New
Adirondack Trail Information Web Pages
The
newly formatted web pages, now named the Adirondack
Backcountry Information web pages provide current information regarding
access, recreational infrastructure and specific conditions on Adirondack
Forest Preserve and conservation easement lands. Users are encouraged to
link to the main page, read the seasonal notices, check the new, interactive
map for area desired to visit and then go to the web page for the specific
notices.
The
number of web pages pertaining to the various areas of the Adirondacks
have increased from six to 10 with the addition of western Forest Preserve
and conservation easement lands. General notices have been removed from
the individual pages and all trail information is now linked to the main
DEC web page. All seasonal notices with Adirondack-wide significance have
been moved to the main pages.
The
popular DEC Adirondack Trail (Backcountry) Information web pages received
nearly 100,000 unique visits in 2015. The content of the web pages is shared
on the websites of numerous Adirondack organizations, blogs and news media.
Contact:
NYS-DEC
Lori
Severino
Office
of Communication Services
518-402-8000
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