Scoping comment letter on the Windham High Peak UMP

Catskill 3500 Scoping Comments

Scoping comment letter on the Windham High Peak UMP

This issue has not be resolved! Write Senior Forester Frank Parks about this.

This was a letter sent to DEC from ADK, the Catskill 3500 Club, and the NY-NJTC about the mountain biking issue. The last paragraph deals with the fact that DEC should not be making Unit Management Plans (UMP) for an area before the Catskill Park State Land Master Plan has been adopted, and that we advocate reclassifying Windham High Peak Wild Forest as Wilderness, as proposed in 2003, and then adopting a new UMP. Read the comments below:

Adirondack Mountain Club
Catskill 3500 Club
Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

August 11, 2006

Attn: Senior Forester Frank Parks
NYS DEC, Division of Lands and Forests
65561 State Highway 23, Suite 1
Stamford, NY 12167-9503

Re: Windham High Peak Wild Forest UMP

Dear Mr. Parks:

On behalf of the above-mentioned organizations, we would like to take this opportunity to provide scoping comments on DEC's proposed revision of the Windham High Peak Wild Forest Unit Management Plan (UMP).

According to DEC, a central issue of the revised UMP is to evaluate local initiatives for new trail development. Local interest in developing multiple use trails has been expressed by mountain bicyclists.

We strongly recommend that mountain bikes be prohibited on hiking trails in the Forest Preserve, except those which are marked specifically for their use and which follow old road ways. The use of bicycles on trails of any grade can present a high risk of collision with hikers due to the narrowness and limited sight distance common to foot trails. This problem is greatly aggravated on steeper grades.

We strongly oppose opening any portion of the Escarpment Trail to mountain biking. There is a particularly wet area right off of NY Route 23 and again along a level section of trail above the spruce/pine forests where runoff makes the trail wet much of the time. Mountain bikes would exacerbate this problem. Additionally, mountain bikes would damage the forest floor of the several beautiful evergreen stands; a section requires planks to walk on.

Will the revision of the UMP make any provision for preventing access to and use of unmarked trails on Elm Ridge established by repeated travel by mountain bikers? If mountain bikers get the dedicated trails that DEC is evaluating they should relinquish the unauthorized trails that they have created. Such a provision should be expressly stated in the revised UMP.

If DEC approves new mountain bike trails in the unit we strongly believe that mountain bike use should only be permitted on old roads. Additionally, mountain bikes should be permitted only on routes designated for mountain bike use, just as snowmobiles are only allowed on trails designated for snowmobile use. We urge DEC to retain the positive signage and trail designation rule for mountain bikes in the revision of the Windham High Peak Wild Forest UMP.

Also of concern is that the draft revision of the Catskill Park State Land Master Plan (CPSLMP) proposed that a large portion of the Windham High Peak Wild Forest be reclassified as Wilderness. We strongly support this reclassification. This Windham High Peak Wild Forest UMP revision process undermines the process of adopting a final revision of the CPSLMP. If a portion of Windham High Peak Wild Forest is reclassified as Wilderness, a new UMP would be necessary at that time. Has DEC already determined that the entire Windham High Peak Wild Forest will remain as Wild Forest before the release of the final revised CPSLMP? If so, isn't this putting the legal cart before the horse.

Thank you for this opportunity to present our views.

Sincerely,

Neil Woodworth
Executive Director
Adirondack Mountain Club

Carol S. White
Conservation Chair
Catskill 3500 Club

Edward Goodell
Executive Director
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

Send this to a friend!