Cuomo To Do Five Year Deal for Finch Lands in Adks

August 5th, 2012 by Brian Mann

UPDATE: DEC Commissioner Joe Martens just confirmed that NYS will buy 65,000 acres of timberland over the next five years. Calls it biggest expansion of Adirondack forest preserve in 100 years. Gov. Cuomo calls deal 'a gift to our children.'

Apparently more details will be posted:

http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/inbox/2012/08/05/breaking-cuomo-to-do-five-year-deal-for-finch-lands-in-adks/

Here's much more detail from the ADE:

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/532204.html

I was interested in knowing what land is included:

"The deal includes the Essex Chain of Lakes, part of the Hudson River, the Boreas ponds and the McIntyre Tract, as well as OK Slip Falls and several smaller pieces of land in the southeast part of the Park."

I know this stuff is controversial, but I would like the opportunity to see OK Slip Falls.

awesome.

+1

was it really necessary for the state to spend so much money when they are having to cut elsewhere for land that was already protected from development since it was owned by the Nature Conservancy?

I doubt that NC was going to sell the land to a logging company

Actually the land was bought by NC from Finch Pruyn (basically a logging company) so I'm assuming it'd probably be a while before it would be valuable for timber.

"was it really necessary for the state to spend so much money when they are having to cut elsewhere for land that was already protected from development since it was owned by the Nature Conservancy?"

Now we will all be paying property and school taxes on it every year:

"The State will pay full local property and school taxes on the land."

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CDwQqQIwCg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.syracuse.com%2Fnews%2Findex.ssf%2F2012%2F08%2Fnew_york_state_buys_69000_acre.html&ei=2-UfUJi8Ccaz6wHgrIG4AQ&usg=AFQjCNEDZ9n-kr62Fmg7liNRbtF9o71Eyg

That tax issue is a double edged one

on one side if the state does not pay the towns the taxes on the land the towns are out a lot of revenue that they can not make up for because all the towns in the APA are surrounded by state land

on the other hand NYS tax payers have to pay all that property tax forever in addition to the purchase price

If this land was protected by NC why does the state need to spend all this money to buy it in these current very trying times.  Why buy it at all?  Most of this land if very inaccessable so for it to have value as a recreation area roads are going to need to be build along with other infrastructure which costs big money.  Plus eco nuts are going to fight any development including roads because then its not wild land in their view.  The state is in effect given money back to green goups that are going to spend it fighting the state. Stupid  

If the state really wanted to spend big bucks in the DAKs Orda has plenty of shovel ready projects like snowmaking on Hoyt's which have a much bigger recreation impact and cost much less.  

While Adirondack Almanack tends to be on the tree hugger side editorially, I thought this article presented points on both sides.

Wilderness or Wildforest:

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/08/wilderness-or-wild-forest.html

Sounds like OK Slip Falls may be accessible late this year?

HEY AS,

Did you reproduce?  

ScottyJack wrote

HEY AS,

Did you reproduce?

bwahahahahahah

that was funny...i laughed

Harvey44 wrote

While Adirondack Almanack tends to be on the tree hugger side editorially, I thought this article presented points on both sides.

Wilderness or Wildforest:

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/08/wilderness-or-wild-forest.html

I agree this is a well written piece.  It seems that the only one benefiting from this sale is Nature Conservancy.  It looks like a pay off from the Gov to them so they can reduce debt - wanna bet that NC makes a nice fat contribution to the Gov's relection coffers.

The state is saying that this is all about recreation access and boosting tourism but there is going to be very little access actually gained from all this.  Us NYS tax payers end up paying for this and getting nothing in return.

If anyone rides their mountain bike at the SMBA trails near Skidmore College, you might be interested in this thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/new-york/ny-state-purchases-smba-land-805560.html

The land that we ride on is also part of the purchase.

Seems like the consensus in that thread was positive for MTBers and SMBA?  MC is that your take?

I'd read that the acquisition included OK Slip Falls, (some other stuff) and "several smaller parcels in the southeast Adirondacks."  Anyone know what else is included?

Doesn't come out big enough, but just do a Google image search on "69,000 acres, Nature Conservancy purchase" or something and there's a bunch of maps floating around.

Little bit more news on this land acquisition and the impact on SMBA:

http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/277406/327323e3a5/ARCHIVE

Basically, what it says is that they're in contact with the DEC and it is "imperative" that members attend the upcoming public meetings to advocate for mountain biking in the parcel.

Somewhat old news now (4 or 5 days) but I had missed it.  I'm assuming this is the same purchase that started this thread.

OK Slip Falls isn't accessible yet but should be sometime this summer.  I'd really like to see it:

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2013/04/state-buys-ok-slip-falls-hudson-riverfront.html

In all, the state bought 9,300 acres from the Nature Conservancy for $6.3 million. The land is split among six parcels, four in the Adirondack Park, two lying just outside it.

One parcel coveted by paddlers is a 940-acre tract at the confluence of the Hudson and Indian rivers. With this acquisition, the public will be able to put in Harris Lake at the town beach in Newcomb and then paddle south on the Hudson, taking out at the confluence.

The 2,800-acre OK Slip Falls tract, also purchased by the state, includes 2.1 miles of riverfront in the Hudson Gorge. Whitewater paddlers and rafters will be able to stop in the gorge and hike to OK Slip Falls, one of the biggest cascades in the Park. This parcel also includes the Blue Ledges, a marble cliff where rare mosses grow. The tract is expected to be open to the public this spring.

Also purchased were:

Casey Brook Tract, a 1,587-acre parcel that will provide a link between the High Peaks Wilderness and Dix Mountain Wilderness once the state acquires Boreas Ponds. It will be open to the public this spring.

The Hudson River Ice Meadows, a 727-acre parcel in Warren County where spring ice jams create a microhabitat for rare plants. It will be open to the public in October.

The Saddles, a 2,540-acre parcel with dramatic cliffs on Lake Champlain’s South Bay. The area is home to timber rattlesnakes and peregrine falcons. It’s located outside the Park in Washington County. It will be open to the public this spring.

Spruce Point, a 726-acre parcel with a variety of forest types, lying outside the Park in Washington County. It will be open to the public in October.

http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/537281/Working-on-access-to-OK-Slip-Falls.html

Update on access to OK Slip Falls. The article address an interesting point- the closest existing road is a one-lane road owned by a private camp. Seems like the easiest access to the falls will be to raft through the Hudson Gorge and hike upstream to the falls until that situation gets resolved.

njadk wrote

Update on access to OK Slip Falls. The article address an interesting point- the closest existing road is a one-lane road owned by a private camp. Seems like the easiest access to the falls will be to raft through the Hudson Gorge and hike upstream to the falls until that situation gets resolved.

Paging tBatt ... would your company consider combo rafting hiking trips to handle this?  Might be a market a lower water trip. I'd dig it.  Or extending the trail from Whortleberry Pond would be really close to North Creek.

Bigger maps:

It's a pretty cool spot, I've been there several times. I used to go to a summer camp out in the woods there that hikes there frequently. Some pretty awesome nature out in there that I def miss. One of the nice things of living in the middle of the woods, it's so easy to go off and get lost in it away from everything else. Can't beat it.

ADK