Adirondack Council and Elected Leaders Applaud Purchase of 6,800-acre Adirondack High Peaks Parcel
Adirondack Council and Elected Leaders Applaud Purchase of
6,800-acre Adirondack High Peaks Parcel
Would Make Excellent Addition to popular High Peaks Wilderness that Surrounds It
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John F. Sheehan
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Thursday, April 23, 2015
NEWCOMB, N.Y. – The Adirondack Council today applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s purchase from the Nature Conservancy of 6,800 acres of sensitive and biologically rich former timberlands, lakes and rivers in the Adirondack High Peaks..
The parcel, known as MacIntyre East is adjacent to the High Peaks Wilderness and conservation easements lands, and is located just west of the Boreas Ponds parcel also purchased by the Nature Conservancy. Both were part of 161,000 acres formerly owned by Finch, Pruyn & Co., a paper making company in Glens Falls.
About 95,000 acres were resold to a private timber-management company, so less than half of Finch’s former holdings will be eligible to become public, “Forever Wild” Forest Preserve.
“This is one of a handful of Nature Conservancy, former Finch parcels, that would best serve the public and the vibrancy of central Adirondack communities as a motor-free addition to the High Peaks Wilderness,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “We applaud the Governor, the Nature Conservancy and local communities for working together to make this happen.”
“The High Peaks Wilderness is the Adirondack Park’s premiere mountain climbing and paddling destination, but the eastern side is very heavily used. This could expand the Wilderness to the south and take some pressure off of the trails that start near Keene Valley and Lake Placid.”
The lands are mostly in the Town of Newcomb, although small portions extend into Keene and North Hudson. All are in Essex County.
The state purchased the MacIntyre East property from The Nature Conservancy for roughly $4.24 million, using the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. The Environmental Protection Fund is a dedicated trust fund supported by state real estate transfer revenue.
The purchase should provide new paddling and fishing opportunities on more than five miles of the Hudson River, seven miles of the Opalescent River and Sanford Lake, as well as Upper Twin and LeClair brooks. Visitors will also be able to hunt, hike and enjoy stunning views on the properties, the Governor’s announcement stated. In addition, the State will explore the potential to develop new trails to Allen Mountain and other High Peaks, it said.
A map of the parcel can be viewed HERE. The parcel includes upland forests, a red maple floodplain, a spruce fir swamp and other wetlands, and habitat for a variety of birds, mammals and fish, including the American redstart, white-tail deer, bobcat and brook trout, Governor Cuomo announced.
The announcement drew praise from Senator Betty Little, R-Queensbury; Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury; Essex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Randy Douglas; Town of Newcomb Supervisor George Canon; Town of North Hudson Supervisor Ron Moore; and, Town of Keene Supervisor William Ferebee.
Collectively, the state’s Finch lands purchases represent the largest addition to the Forest Preserve in more than a generation. These lands had been held as private property for more than 125 years and were closed to public recreation, accessible only to those who purchased club memberships from lease-holding organizations.
The state will pay full local property and school taxes on the acquired lands.
Over the past three years, the state has purchased 48,604 acres of former Finch Pruyn holdings from TNC scattered throughout the Adirondacks and the Lake George-Lake Champlain watershed. The state expects to acquire the 22,000 acre Boreas Ponds tract – the sole remaining former Finch Pruyn parcel – in the current state fiscal year, the Governor announced.
As the properties come into state ownership, the state determines classifications of the lands to ensure protection of the natural resources and appropriate public access and use.
In 2014, the State acquired the MacIntyre West property, consisting of 5,770 acres of former Finch Pruyn lands adjacent to the High Peaks in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County.
The Adirondack Council’s mission is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of New York’s six-million-acre Adirondack Park. The Council envisions an Adirondack Park comprised of core wilderness areas, surrounded by working forests and farms, and vibrant rural communities. Adirondack Council members live in all 50 United States.
