For Immediate Release: November 17, 2016
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
Ray Brook, NY - The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comments on Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for proposed activities to the Lake Champlain Islands Management Complex Unit Management Plan (LCIMC-UMP). Public comment should address if the proposed activities conform to the guidelines and criteria of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APSLMP). The APA will accept public comment until January 6, 2017.
The islands that comprise the LCIMC encompass approximately 1,133 acres of Forest Preserve lands on six of the seven state-owned islands in Lake Champlain - Valcour, Schuyler, Cole, Garden, Sheepshead, and Signal Buoy. There are also approximately 28 acres of land that make up the three boat launch sites included in the LCIMC which are administered by the Department of Environmental Conservations Bureau of Fisheries: Peru Dock, Port Douglas and Willsboro Bay.
The six islands and three boat launch sites in the LCIMC are located just east of Plattsburgh, Clinton County and run south to Ticonderoga in Essex County. The islands and boat launch sites are on the western half of the lake.
The LCIMC contains about 13 miles of hiking trails, 34 designated campsites and offers a wide variety of day-use opportunities. Recreational activities include hiking, picnicking, visiting the Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island, wildlife and bird watching, and hunting.
Some APSLMP conformance criteria related to these actions include:
- Identifying the range of appropriate recreational activities for the various islands;
- Providing reasonable public access; and
- Management and protection of natural and historic resources.
The APA will accept public comment on APSLMP conformance until January 6, 2017.
The APSLMP and the UMPs are available for viewing or download from the Adirondack Park Agency website at: www.apa.ny.gov.
Please address all written comments pertaining to Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance to:
Kathy Regan
Deputy Director for Planning
NYS Adirondack Park Agency
P.O. Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Email - SLMP_Comments@apa.ny.gov
If submitting comment by email, please type the Unit Management Plan name in the subject line of the email message.
Fax: 518-891-3938
Lake Champlain is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the United States, with 435 square miles of water surface, over 80 islands and 587 miles of shoreline. The lake flows from Whitehall, New York north almost 129 miles across the U.S. - Canadian border to its outlet at the Richelieu River in Quebec. From that point, the lakes waters join with the waters of the St. Lawrence and eventually make their way into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. For much of its length the lake makes up the border for New York and Vermont.
UMPs are required by the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan for each unit of State land in the Adirondack Park. The plans integrate the goals and objectives of the Master Plan, related legislation, and resource and visitor use information into a single document.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law. For more information, call the APA at (518) 891-4050 or visit www.apa.ny.gov.
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