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The ‘Burgh Sun • December 3, 2016 | 15
Snowmobilers mobilize at Schroon Lake Boreas hearing Access to newly-acquired state lands critical to jumpstarting local economies, say local biz, sportsmen groups at Schroon Lake hearing By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
SCHROON LAKE — Plaid outweighed green last week at Schroon Lake Central as the Adirondack Park Agency hosted the latest public hearing as part of the classification process for Boreas Ponds, the newly acquired parcel of state land located in the central Adirondacks. Local sporting groups, snowmobilers and business leaders said it is critical to allow as much recreational use as possible on the tract in order to accommodate aging sportsmen and to facilitate recreation that will aid the local economy. Many speakers endorsed Alternative 1, which cleaves the parcel in two, allowing a split between Wild Forest and Wilderness. Three other Adirondack Park Agency proposed alternatives offer varying divides between the Wilderness-Wild Forest split, with each adding more wilderness than the last. ‘WE SPEND MONEY’ “This area would be a great area for snowmobiles because we have no work there,” said Ray Buckholts, of the New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA). Prior to the session, which packed the gymnasium last Monday, Access the Adirondacks rolled out a list of 34 sportsmen organizations who supported their preferred alternative for the 20,543-acre parcel, purchased by the state last May. The endorsements, said the coalition, are intended as a counterweight against those offered by BeWildNY, a coalition of green groups who support more restrictive uses. Buckholts said snowmobilers are good environmental stewards who want to use existing roads to minimize environmental impact, including a proposed snowmobile connector track between Minerva and Newcomb. But other alternatives would require cutting new trails through the woods, said Adirondack Local Government Review Board President Fred Monroe. “We don’t want to destroy the environment, that’s not our thing,” said Tom Hudon, of the Crown Point-based Adirondack Trail Riders. “A lot of us are conservationists as well.” Hudon supports Alternative 1, which would allow for snowmobiling around the perimeter of Boreas Ponds to White Lily Pond and continuing on and back to the so-called Four Corners and along Gulf Brook Road. Advocates also argue connector trails — including the proposed route that would connect the Five Towns — are a critical lynchpin to a statewide snowmobile system, necessary to link southern areas to their North Country counterparts. “Everything outside the road will stay exactly how it is today,” said Dominic Jacangelo, executive director of NYSSA. The snowmobiling industry, he said, generates $868 million of economic activity annually, and one in three of those rides occur within the Blue Line. Members of the organization, which represents 230 clubs across the state, also fish, hike, hunt, canoe and kayak when they visit, Jacangelo said. “Snowmobilers bring a lot of money,” said Bonnie Best, treasurer of the Grafton Trail Blazers. “They’re good for the economy.” The Adirondack Council, a member of BeWildNY, supports limited snowmobiling via an expanded High Peaks Wilderness area, said Executive Director Willie Janeway. Under all alternatives, there are different ways of routing snowmobiles from North Hudson to Newcomb, he said. Instead of using existing roads, BeWildNY’s plan calls for the trail to be located further south, largely paralleling Blue Ridge Road. From east to west, between 3 and 4 miles of new trail would have to be cut, which the Adirondack Council doesn’t necessarily dispute. “We do support a snowmobile connector trail,” Janeway said. But, he said, the record does need to be corrected on how many miles of road exist on the parcel. Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer, despite filing court injunctions to halt progress on DEC-approved snowmobile connector trails, agrees with Access’ proposal to use existing roadways. The construction of new trails takes down between 500 to 1,000 trees per mile, he said. “It makes no sense to keep Gulf Brook Road open to motor vehicles and not use it for a snowmobile trail, and cut a new snowmobile trail somewhere else,” Bauer said. Protect is against all four APA proposals, calling the options akin to “hanging a Van Gogh painting on a telephone post.” Retired Forest Ranger Peter Fish said mankind always leaves an imprint on nature, which can range from the “long smell of exhaust” and grease slicks from snowmobiles to disintegrated hiking paths trammeled by overuse. “I am an utter and complete Wilderness advocate,” Fish said. “There is no such thing as a wheel that is not destructive.”
Hundreds attended the Adirondack Park Agency’s public hearing on land classification on Monday, Nov. 21. The Boreas Ponds Tract was the chief topic of discussion. Photo by Pete DeMola
Wilderness advocates also said the Adirondack Park hosts plenty of places where snowmobiling and motorized recreation is available — including within close proximity to Boreas. Just eight of the 100 biggest lakes in the Adirondack Park are motor-free, said Tyler Socash. “When Access the Adirondacks talks about balance, they are obtuse on how accessible the Adirondacks already is,” Socash said. LOCAL ECONOMIES Business leaders at the four-hour hearing presented a mixed portrait of the local economy. Roger Friedman marveled at the packed auditorium — the same room in which he received his high school diploma 50 years ago. But class sizes have dwindled since then, said the local realtor. And the community is struggling. “The Boreas Ponds offer a great economic opportunity for the region,” Friedman said. We can preserve it, but we must make it accessible for all people.” Anything but full access, he said, would be “another nail in the coffin” for the local economy. “If you live in this area like I have, you can literally hear the shrinkage,” Friedman said. Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammy Brown said 68 percent of Schroon residents live under the poverty line, and it’s an ongoing struggle for businesses to stay open year-round. “When you get to be our age — when you look at how to feed your family, and keep businesses running — that’s also very important,” Brown said. Minerva Supervisor Steve McNally tied the decline directly to the increase in state land acquisitions. “These small towns are in jeopardy,” he said. “With the state purchasing lands, the people have lost their livelihoods.” But pro-Wilderness advocates said the economic picture was more complex, and said Wilderness buoys local economies, acting as a magnet for many, including young people who view the designation as a desirable magnet. Planting permanent roots will revitalize an ailing economy, they argue, and will repopulate the school districts that are hemorrhaging students. Samantha Brooks spoke of visiting the region from a young age. A seasonal job led to a permanent full-time position, and a full Wilderness designation is paramount to that attraction for her and other potential transplants, she said. Brooks said she couldn’t estimate how many times she has frequented local businesses after a long day on the hiking trail, including the Noonmark Diner in Keene Valley, the Lake Placid Pub and Stewarts in Long Lake. “They will stop in your town to buy stuff,” Brooks said. Pete Nelson, the co-founder of Adirondack Wilderness Advocates (AWA), said both sides needed to move past a debate he said has historically been “myopic and insular.” “I think it’s an unfortunate debate, this specific debate,” Nelson said. Nelson pitched the idea of leveraging Frontier Town, the abandoned theme park in North Hudson, as a gateway to a new Wildness High Peaks area. Peer-reviewed studies of communities surrounding federally-protected land in the western U.S., he said, reveal when properly leveraged, the protected assets can be used as tools for economic development. Economic profiles in communities near the National Park Service lands are similar to urban counties, he said.
That can happen here, he said, and development needn’t clash with full Wilderness protection. “Let’s make a smarter debate,” Nelson said. “Let’s go somewhere that helps out towns — they need it.” Chris Lincoln said he was torn between watching communities decline and allowing snowmobiling and mountain biking in ecologically-sensitive areas. “I don’t know what the answer is, but I don’t think this is it,” he said. AWA is calling for a full Wilderness classification, a concept that is not included in any of the four APA alternatives. Checkered flannel outweighed the green t-shirts last week, and the hearing again saw a mobilization of those calling for support of that plan, many of them students and young professionals. And while the sessions have largely been tranquil, one proWilderness speaker who spoke out against snowmobiling was jeered and booed by the crowd after revealing he was from Michigan. “You don’t understand because you’re from Michigan,” yelled a woman. Another speaker lashed out against what he perceived as idealistic and naive attitudes, and said roads were necessary on a practical level to ensure public safety. “It’s amazing how you people get hurt,” said Michael Carruso, citing DEC rescue reports. “It’s amazing how you fall and break bones and get carried out of there. “You want to get rid of the roads? Great idea!” That dynamic has been a constant push-pull during the sessions. “Yes, you are the future of the Adirondacks, but only if you live and work in the Adirondack Park,” said Newcomb Supervisor Wes Miga. “You may be the future, but we are the now.” NEW VIEWPOINTS The hearing, which drew 89 scheduled speakers (although many left earlier) did upend some conventional narratives. One disabled speaker endorsed the full Wilderness plan, an option that would close the Gulf Brook Road entirely to all but foot traffic. The Adirondacks is now at a critical point, and a historic moment, said Joan Cunningham, of ADK Community Works, a Schroon Lake-based nonprofit. An expanded High Peaks Wilderness would be the largest motor-free area east of the Rocky National Park in Colorado, she said. “Humans can co-exist and protect our beloved Adirondacks,” said Cunningham, who uses a motorized mobility device. “I choose not to access the Boreas Pond regions, but instead keep them as pristine as possible for my children and grandchildren to explore on foot.” Dan Lynch owns 200 acres on both sides of Blue Ridge Road, making him one of the closest private property owners. Lynch called for Alternative 2 (with several minor modifications) and said motorized use wouldn’t necessarily lead to an economic boost for the surrounding area. “No motors, including electrics, should be allowed to operate on Boreas Ponds,” Lynch said. Peter Hornbeck, owner of Hornbeck Boats on Trout Brook Road, said his customers are drawn to Wilderness, and that the classification isn’t necessarily “the kiss of death” to local merchants. “Our economy is real good,” he said. The buzz around Boreas, he said, is really helping his business, which employs six. “We have seen a spurt of interest this year because of that >> See Boreas Hearing | pg. 16