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February 26, 2010 -- The St. Regis Canoe Area UMP Draft Amendment meeting has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, in the Freer Science Building Auditorium at Paul Smiths College. To download the DEC announcement click here.
February 26, 2010 -- The Jay Mountain Wilderness and the Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area Draft UMP meeting has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 in the auditorium of the Keene Central School. February 25, 2010 -- DEC cancels UMP meeting this evening because of weather conditions and predictions of worsening conditions. The meeting has not been rescheduled yet but is tentatively being looked at for March 10th. February 23, 2010 -- An article from WNBZ - Mountain Communications can be viewed at: http://www.wnbz.com/February%202010/022310/EssexCountySupervisors.htm February 22, 2010 at 12:30 pm -- Adirondack Daily Enterprise Poll: Should the state remove the fire towers on Hurricane and St. Regis mountains? The results are 7% in favor, 92% opposed and 1% undecided.
February 16, 2010 -- A public meeting on this Draft Amendment/EIS will be held on February 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM at Paul Smiths College in the College Freer Science Building. DEC will be accepting public comments on the Draft Amendment/EIS until March 26, 2010. This announcement can be viewed at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/22588.html At this NYS DEC site both the 2006 approved UMP for the St. Regis Canoe area can be downloaded http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/srcafinal.pdf as well as the new proposed Draft Amendment at the bottom of this page. http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/stregisamed.pdf DEC has released the Fire Tower Study for the Adirondack Park. To download click here, please note this is a large file with over 400 pages of text. February 1, 2010 -- The DEC will be putting out an UMP Amendment for the Removal of the St. Regis Fire Tower. This is going to be released to the public February 10th. There is a tentatively planned public meeting for the evening of February 25th, likely to be held at Paul Smiths college campus. There would then be a 30 day comment period before the UMP Amendment would go to APA (45 days from 2/10/10). The Comprehensive NYS Fire Tower Plan that we were waiting for the last two years has been changed by DEC to a “study” which is now complete, and will be released on the same date as the UMP on the 10th. According to DEC this Fire Tower would not be removed during peak summit use months or during Thrush mating season, so likely removal would not happen until late fall of this year. Please feel free to contact your local elected representatives to share your feelings. As further information becomes available we will update this site. June 1, 2006 -- APA Finds St. Regis Canoe Area UMP in Conformance From the minutes of the APA's May 11 -12 meeting that "the Agency unanimously adopted the revised draft resolution finding the St. Regis Canoe Area Unit Management Plan in conformance with the general guidelines and criteria of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, except with regard to final action on the St. Regis Fire tower, to be further clarified through a proposed comprehensive study of fire towers..." To download the 2006 approved UMP for the St. Regis Canoe area click here please. It now appears that the Department of Environmental Conservation has one year from the date of adoption of this plan to develop a comprehensive plan for fire towers within the Adirondack Park. Should no such plan be developed or should a plan not meet the future approval of the APA, the St. Regis Fire Tower should be destined for removal in three years. May 12, 2006 -- Draft Staff Recommendations Offered at May 11 & 12 APA Meeting. Though the official minutes of the May meeting are not available as of this date, the following are excerpts from a draft memo containing comments and recommendations to James Connelly dated May 4, 2006. "Staff believe the Agency's identification of the fire tower as a non-conforming use is the Canoe Area has been consistent since the first adopted Master Plan in 1972 and through two subsequent revisions..." "Staff recognize that there has been a growing, recent interest in maintaining the fire towers for their recreation and cultural resource values." "Staff believe that due to its closure in 1990 it is clear the tower no longer serves any essential purpose as defined by current Master Plan guidelines and criteria. Consequently, staff recommend that any action contained in the proposed comprehensive fire tower plan concerning the future of the Saint Regis Fire Tower should be incorporated in a UMP amendment for the review by the Agency. Staff further recommend that if no UMP amendment is approved, then the Saint Regis Fire Tower should be removed within three years of approval of this unit plan since it will continue to be a non-conforming structure in the Canoe Area. Staff also recognize the other alternatives of the comprehensive study could include either relocation (of the tower) or a revision to the Master Plan." "Staff believe the proposal may be found to be consistent with the guidelines and criteria of the Master Plan if the language can be revised to include the concern for the timing of removal of non-conforming structures as recommended above."
April 6, 2006 -- DEC submits final draft of the St. Regis Canoe Area Unit Management Plan to APA The Unit Management Plan for the St. Regis Canoe Area faced its initial review by the Adirondack Park Agency on Thursday, April 6, 2006. The preferred management alternative selected for implementation calls for the development of "a comprehensive Adirondack fire tower management plan." It further states that "the Department will work with the APA in the development of this plan through a process that includes public involvement. This plan will address all State owned fire tower in the Adirondack Park. Until this plan is completed the fire tower on St. Regis Mountain will not be removed." Five other management alternatives were considered but not selected for implementation. |