Environmental groups are praising the state of New York for its decision to buy conservation and recreation easements on nearly 90,000 acres of timberland in the Adirondacks.<\/p>\n
The deal \u2013 involving lands once owned by the Finch Pruyn paper company — was brokered by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.<\/p>\n
According to a statement issued yesterday, New York state will pay 30 million dollars to protect the land and buy recreation access.<\/p>\n
The money will come from the state\u2019s Environmental Protection Fund.<\/p>\n
Bill Ulfelder, director of the Nature Conservancy in New York, called yesterday\u2019s news \u201ca great day for all New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deal also drew praise from George Canon, town supervisor in the town of Newcomb.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis easement is a step toward making Newcomb a central hub for snowmobiling and winter recreation,\u201d Canon said, in a statement.<\/p>\n
Much of the land will continue to be harvested for timber, which will go to supply the Finch, Pruyn mill in Glens Falls.<\/p>\n
The Nature Conservancy still holds title to more than sixty thousand acres of land once owned by Finch Pruyn.<\/p>\n
The green group hopes that land will eventually be added to the Adirondack forest preserve.<\/p>\n
Here’s the full release, with tons of quotes from various interested parties, released by TNC:<\/p>\n
\nKEENE VALLEY, NY (December 30, 2010) \u2013 The Nature Conservancy announced a historic land agreement with New York State that supports timber industry jobs, boosts the State\u2019s recreation and tourism economy and, at the same time, preserves 89,000 forested acres concentrated in the geographic heart of the Adirondacks. The agreement transfers a conservation easement of commercial working forest in the Adirondacks once owned by paper manufacturer Finch, Pruyn to New York State.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great day for all New Yorkers \u2013 it\u2019s about finding a healthy balance between nature and people,\u201d said Bill Ulfelder, state director of The Nature Conservancy in New York.\u00a0 \u201cThis historic agreement will secure public access to lands, lakes and waterways, many for the first time, creating new recreational opportunities for the public and, at the same time, supporting the economy of the Adirondack region and the entire state. This agreement protects some of the region\u2019s largest intact and biologically diverse lands from commercial and private land development.\u201d<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s acquisition of the easement will have a major positive impact on both state and local economies. Protecting this natural land, owned by ATP Timberland Invest, provides a boost to the economy by helping to keep the forest products industry–an industry that supports more than 50,000 jobs and injects $9 billion into the state\u2019s economy every year\u2014both competitive and viable. A related \u201cfiber supply agreement\u201d tied to these lands helps to maintain the century-old link between the property and local manufacturing jobs at the Finch Paper mill, a Glens Falls, NY-based employer of more than 750 workers.<\/p>\n
Additionally, protecting this Adirondack property adds immeasurable value to the region as a major travel and recreation destination.\u00a0 Ten million people visit the Adirondack Park annually, supporting one out of every five jobs in the area, and visitors spend more than $1 billion at local inns, restaurants, convenience stores and outdoor outfitters. The easement has the additional benefit of attracting new visitors to the park by securing new public access to lands and waterways, including permanent snowmobile trails widely viewed by local communities as economic lifelines during long winter seasons.<\/p>\n
New York State paid $30 million for the conservation easement, which includes specific recreation rights to the land, with money allocated for this purpose in last year\u2019s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).\u00a0 The local communities (27 towns) where the properties lie have all approved this purchase.<\/p>\n
\u201cForests are a true multi-purpose resource,\u201d said Roger Dziengeleski, Vice President and Senior Forester for Finch Paper LLC, who also serves on the boards of the Society of American Foresters and the Empire State Forest Products Association.\u00a0 \u201cThis agreement ensures that these forests will continue to provide wood for paper and lumber, homes for a wide diversity of wildlife, four-season recreational opportunities for people and clean air and water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Adirondacks are repeatedly picked by AAA as New York\u2019s number one destination for leaf peeping,\u201d says Jim McKenna, a representative of the Adirondack Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. \u201cMany of the lands protected by this agreement are the very places people travel here to see in all of their autumn splendor\u2014helping to increase economic activity to our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agreement also protects outdoor traditions such as hunting, fishing and snowmobiling which are important parts of Adirondack culture. According to New York State Snowmobilers\u2019 Association (NYSSA) executive director Dave Perkins, \u201cSnowmobiling generates $800 million in spending per year in New York State. If you look at a statewide map of the trail system, there\u2019s a hole in Essex County, which means we\u2019ve been missing out on a share of that money as a result. The trails we can now use because of this conservation easement are helping to fill that gap in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis easement is a step toward making Newcomb a central hub for snowmobiling and winter recreation. It\u2019s pretty great to get some real economic benefit from it,\u201d said Newcomb Town Supervisor George Canon, who also noted that the trails from Newcomb to Long Lake and to Indian Lake will be open this season and links to the east are in the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndian Lake has been paying to lease snowmobile trails on an annual basis,\u201d said Indian Lake Supervisor Barry Hutchens.\u00a0 \u201cNow, with the uncertainty associated with year-to-year leasing erased, we see these trails as permanent and valuable assets that can help our struggling winter economy and our town budget appropriations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just as important as the economic benefits of this historic agreement are the environmental benefits of New York\u2019s investment, which include clean air and water. Protecting forests maximizes nature\u2019s filtration capacity, making the water in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes that run through them safer to drink and less costly to treat.\u00a0 More than 270 miles of rivers and streams concentrated near the uppermost reaches of the Hudson River will continue to flow through intact forests as a result of this conservation effort. Forests also filter and clean our air, removing harmful pollutants and providing oxygen.<\/p>\n
Conserving the former Finch, Pruyn Forestlands<\/strong><\/p>\n
In recognition of their extraordinary ecological and economic value, the Conservancy purchased 161,000 acres of the Finch forestland in the Adirondacks for $110 million in 2007.\u00a0 The overall conservation plan for the future of the property was developed by the Conservancy and New York State after extensive consultation with local government officials and other stakeholders. The final historic agreement balances economic development, recreational needs, and ecological protections. Key elements of the plan call for <\/strong>more than <\/strong>90,000 acres to be protected through a working forest conservation easement , <\/strong>65,000 acres to be transferred over the coming years to New York as new public lands, and 1,100 acres to be set aside for community purposes in Newcomb, Long Lake and Indian Lake. Today\u2019s announcement marks a major milestone in moving the overall plan forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Adirondack Park is one of the state\u2019s proudest legacies and most notable tourism destinations,\u201d said Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. \u201cIn developing some of the conservation easement provisions, we followed the lead of local officials who linked the properties with quality of life, business and tourism opportunities. This project illustrates how ecological conservation and economic activity are mutually reinforcing.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Nature Conservancy<\/strong><\/p>\n
The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951 and is the leading conservation organization in the world, working to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.\u00a0 The organization, which operates in 50 states and more than 30 countries, has protected 120 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide.\u00a0 For more than half a century, the Conservancy in New York has successfully worked to protect and preserve over 1 million acres of priceless land.\u00a0 At the same time, the Conservancy in New York has sustained a productive public-private partnership with individual and corporate landowners while supporting the state\u2019s vision to preserve its lands and waters as a legacy for current residents as well as future generations.\u00a0 For additional information about The Nature Conservancy and the conservation plan for the former Finch lands, please visit www.nature.org\/newyork<\/a>. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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