Trail comments sought
Indian Lake The state is taking comments on a proposed trail for snowmobilers and other users in a section of Hamilton County.
As part of the Adirondack Community Connector Trail System, the corridor will connect Indian Lake, Inlet, Raquette Lake and Long Lake along Route 28, Department of Environmental Conservation Director Bob Stegemann said last week. The area is located in the Blue Ridge Wilderness Unit, and requires an amendment to its unit management plan.
The proposed trail extends the Seventh Lake Mountain Trail to Sargent Ponds Multiple-use Trail and will be maintained as a Class II Community Connector Snowmobile Trail, the DEC says.
Creating the land-based community trail link between Indian Lake and Long Lake was included as goal in the Adirondack Park’s 2006 Snowmobile Plan and the 2011 Moose River Plains Wild Forest unit management plan. The DEC said it is relocating designated snowmobile trails away from water bodies for safety reasons.
The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan allows the DEC to locate a snowmobile trail within 500 feet of the wilderness where the wilderness boundary abuts a public highway.
A public meeting takes place at 6 p.m. Nov. 28 at Raquette Lake Free Union School, 115 Route 28.
Comments can also be sent to Forester Nick Addison, NYSDEC, P.O. Box 1316, Northville, NY 12134, or email to R5.ump@dec.ny.gov.
The deadline is Dec. 7. “DEC’S goal is to protect natural resources, provide outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, and ensure the Forest Preserve is an asset to the communities and a benefit to local economies,” Stegemann said in a press release.