DEC uses a process similar to that outlined for the Adirondacks, which ensures that the recommendations of various users of the land can be reconciled and recreational facilities put in place with minimal environmental impacts. For these reasons, it is essential that the Department commit to an accelerated pace of completing these important documents. Good planning can make a huge difference in ensuring that the public receives maximum benefits from their lands while the Park's magnificent resources are protected. The new planning staff will be responsible for helping prepare and implement unit management plans for portions of the Adirondack and Catskill parks that do not have completed plans. This fall, several draft unit management plans in the Adirondack Park will be made available for public comment, including those for the Santanoni Historic Area, Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest, as well as revisions for the Siamese Pond Wilderness Area and Independence River Wild Forest.
Good planning means good decisions and better management.
Good plans mean more recreational opportunities for hikers and a boost in eco-tourism for Adirondack and Catskill communities. We are delighted with this strong commitment to unit management planning. Tailoring the State's broad rules on how to manage the Forest Preserve to the site-specific conditions of individual wildernesses, wild forests and other areas is one of DEC's most important responsibilities. Completing the plans will give DEC the tools it needs to protect unique wildlife habitat and water quality in the Park's most sensitive areas, while still making accommodations for broad public access to less sensitive areas of state land. The Governor's announcement today of seven new staff for the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve is very significant.