After a while, they fade into the background. Those brown wooden signs with the yellow lettering that DEC uses to mark trailheads, campgrounds, boat launches, and most recently conservation easements. Even so, I notice when a new DEC sign appears, and in recent years, it signs marking conservation easements that have caught my attention. Some conservation easements allow for public access and some don't, but until recently it has been hard to know what was permitted and what was trespassing. New signs clearly indicated where you could go, and it was not uncommon for posted signs to remain in place, when in fact the state had paid the landowner to allow public access. easements are agreements between a landowner and a third party. Usually New York State, though some easements are owned by counties or conservation organizations. The landowner gives up some property rights for direct payment, or sometimes for reduced property taxes. Providing public access is one reason why the state buys easements, but perhaps more important is the goal of limiting scattered development and preserving the use of the land for forestry or farming. The ownership of large timberland tracks can be a shaky economic proposition, and the forestry lands of the Adirondacks have seen multiple rounds of heavy timber harvesting in the last 100 years. With the value of the timber reduced, owners can be tempted to sell off chunks, fragmenting the forest, and potentially taking the land out of timber production. Even easements offer an alternative, reducing the economic pressure while allowing time for the forests to recover value. Owners can still sell the land, or harvest timber, but in most cases the easements are deeded and go with the property. Some easements allow for unrestricted access, but many come with special provisions, and this is where you need to pay attention to the details. Even with the improved signage, the DEC website has been updated with detailed maps and descriptions showing exactly what is allowed. In a previous video I talked about the spectacular Masawipi Lake property owned by the Boy Scouts. New York State has an easement on this property that allows for public access for most of the year, and a similar easement exists on the Boy Scout property at Cedarlands just outside of Long Lake. The Cedarlands easement includes two attractive ponds and two summits that offer great views, like Masawipi, public access to most of the properties restricted from late June through the end of August. However, the mud pond section is open to public use year-round. So close to Long Lake is the township 20 easement, a land owned by Upper Hudson Woodlands. This easement limits development over a large acreage, and it provides for public access to two small but noteworthy areas. One is an access point onto county line flow and fishing brook. The pond is a great place for birding, and fishing brook has long been known for good fishing. A second small public area provides access to state land in the fishing brook range, and especially to Burt Mountain. Burt Mountain is trailless, but experienced off trail hikers can easily reach the summit, which offers outstanding views. If you want to avoid the crowds in the high peaks, or you're looking for new places to explore, take a look at the DEC website and the numerous easement properties that offer new opportunities for adventure.