Governor Kathy Hochul has approved the 2023-24 Adirondack Park State Land classification package. The action includes 25 state land classifications totaling approximately 5,800 acres and 11 state land reclassifications totaling an estimated 250 acres. The majority of the lands were classified to allow motor vehicle access, including some Forest Preserve lands formerly classified as Wilderness.
The Adirondack Park Agency, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Conservation, advanced recommendations to the Governor after completion of a review process as required by the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan.
The lands involved in this classification action are in Clinton, Essex, Fulton, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, St. Lawrence, and Warren Counties.
The Adirondack Park Agency presented proposed recommendations and a draft supplemental environmental impact statement to the APA Board at the October 2023 monthly board meeting, held public hearings and accepted comments before presenting them to the APA Board at its January 2024 monthly board meeting, at which the plans were also adopted.
As of 2023, there are approximately 2,591,785 acres of Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park, currently classified as follows:
Wild Forest 1,324,025 acres – 51.0%
Wilderness 1,186,399 acres – 45.7%
Primitive 38,215 acres – 1.5%
Intensive Use 22,614 acres – 0.9%
Canoe 17,325 acres – 0.7%
Historic 522 acres – 0.02%
State Administrative 2,028 acres – 0.1%
Highlights of Classification Actions
Golden Beach Campground and Day Use Area Unit Management Plan has been changed to include a series of reclassifications, including A 5.7-acre being reclassified from Wild Forest to Intensive Use; a 3.8-acre area in the Blue Ridge Wilderness being reclassified from Wilderness to Intensive Use; 89.6 acres being reclassified from Wild Forest to Intensive Use, in part to connect motorized access with the Adirondack Rail Trial; and a 74.4-acre Intensive Use reclassification to a Wild Forest. All these lands allow for motorized access. A Balsam Flats ecological community is identified in the southern portion of the Rollins Pond Campground. Common Loon, a species of special concern, is present on the adjacent Whey and Floodwood Ponds
Horseshoe Pond is a 13.3-acre reclassification in the Town of Duane in Franklin County that entails reclassifying acreage associated with a former sand mine under the jurisdiction of the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) from Wild Forest to State Administrative, both of which allow motorized vehicles. The entirety of the parcel, including the existing Debar Mountain Wild Forest being reclassified, totals approximately 25.7 acres. Bald eagles, which are threatened, have been documented breeding in the area immediately to the south of this parcel. Common loons, a species of special concern, has also been documented immediately to the south of the parcel.
The Champlain Valley Hills acquisition is in the Town of Chesterfield, Essex County and includes many defining features, including spectacular views of Lake Champlain from Mount Trembleau, a variety of vegetation types, wildlife and Lake Champlain shoreline. The 610.6-acre parcel is classified as Wild Forest, which allows motorized access.
Tub Mill Pond is an approximately 1,200-acre acquisition that lies on the western edge of the Lake George/Lake Champlain watershed in the Town of Moriah, Essex County. It includes five lakes and ponds with 2.6 miles of shoreline. This parcel is classified as Wild Forest, which allows motorized access.
Thirteenth Lake Shoreline is a 17.9-acre acquisition in the Town of Johnsburg, Warren County. The acquisition of this parcel secures the permanent protection of the entire shoreline of Thirteenth Lake. The lake is easily accessed from the north and features a 0.1-mile-long accessible path from the trailhead to the shore where there is an accessible hand launch and accessible tent sites. Thirteenth Lake contains rainbow trout and landlocked salmon. This parcel is classified as Wilderness.
Marion River – Arietta is a 266.8-acre parcel located in the Towns of Arietta and Indian Lake in Hamilton County. The parcel will establish a canoe carry around rapids and a connection between Raquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake along one of the most popular Adirondack canoe routes. The parcel includes the remnants of a former rail line built by William West Durant in 1899 and is classified as Wild Forest, which allows motorized access.
Grass River Corridor is a 948-acre parcel in the Towns of Colton and Clifton, St. Lawrence County. The parcel parallels the South Branch of the Grass River (designated Scenic River under the Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers Act). The river meanders as it makes its way through the parcel and includes several oxbows. The classification for this parcel is Wild Forest, which allows motorized access.
Camp Pine Knot – SUNY Cortland Lands are a 208.5-acre property administered by State University of New York (SUNY) Cortland including an environmental and outdoor education center. The parcel is located on Long Point on Raquette Lake, in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County. This parcel requires a map correction. Previous APA maps show the parcel as private lands classified as Moderate Intensity Use. The classification for this parcel is State Administrative, which allows motorized access.
DEC Harrietstown Storage Area is a 31.9-acre Wild Forest parcel that has historically been used by DEC for un-permitted administrative purposes, including storage of vehicles and materials and as a landfill (which has been capped and is no longer in use). The parcel is located in the Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County, on the north side of NYS Route 186 and includes habitat for Ocellated Emerald, a rare species of dragonfly. The classification for this parcel has changed to State Administrative, which continues to allow motorized access.
New York State Forest Preserve and Adirondack Park
In 1885, the New York State legislature established the Forest Preserve, stating that the Preserve “shall be forever kept as wild forest lands.” In 1892 the Adirondack Park was established through an act of the legislature, which delineated where State acquisition of private inholdings was to be concentrated.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1894, Article VII of the New York State Constitution (now Article XIV) was adopted and soon after was approved by the people of the State. It reads in part: “The lands of the State, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the Forest Preserve, as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.”
The Final 2023-2024 State Land Classification Package is available for download at the APA’s website.
Staff also prepared an online interactive story map to help the public learn more about each parcel in this action.
