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ANCA Responds to Draft Comprehensive Plan for Snowmobiling in the Adirondack Park March 26, 2004 Mr. Robert Messenger NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Bureau of Forest Preserve Management 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233-4254 Dear Mr. Messenger: I am writing on behalf of the Adirondack North Country Association Board of Directors to provide commentary about the Draft Comprehensive Snowmobile Plan for the Adirondack Park. While our Board acknowledges the need for a comprehensive plan, we believe the current plan is not acceptable, as it is far from being comprehensive. ANCA is a not-for-profit private corporation that has been working for the past 50 years to strengthen the economy and quality of life in the 14 counties of northern New York through informed, open debate and advocacy on economic issues critical to the region. ANCA has a strong history in regional, recreational planning initiatives, including the development of the Master Plan for Bicycling in the Adirondack North Country, our calling for and management of an economic impact study that augmented the rail feasibility study of the Remsen-Lake Placid Rail Corridor, the feasibility analysis for the Lake Placid/ Saranac Lake Pathway Project, and our corridor management planning work for the Adirondack and Olympic Scenic Byways. We have noted with some surprise that the committee established to develop the Draft Comprehensive Snowmobile Plan did not include regional economic development interests or organizations, and we therefore request that the Adirondack North Country Association and other economic development interests be invited to future planning discussions. In addition, we would like to present the following commentary which presents information we believe is lacking in the current plan and which must be addressed to have a truly effective planning document able to appropriately guide the recreational use of the State Forest Preserve and the economic use of private lands and community assets in an integrated snowmobiling system for the Adirondack Park: 1) The plan lacks an analysis of the economic impact of snowmobiling and does not present sufficient baseline information about current or projected snowmobiling activity in the region. Current data about snowmobiling is lacking, information about current trends is not included, there is no inventory of existing trails or any maps of proposed trails, and there is no information about how expansion of the snowmobile network could contribute to the region’s economy. 2) The draft plan provides no guidance on how communities can benefit economically by pointing to where investments can be made in facilities and lodging, complementary attractions, or tour packages and marketing. 3) The draft plan lacks consistent information about where the full set of current trails are located, where future trail additions should be or what the capital and life cycle/stewardship costs will be for the overall trail network, or its Forest Preserve or private land components. There are no estimates of public or private sector costs for the network as a whole. Without a full evaluation of the potential economic impacts, potential benefits and costs, and some evidence of clear strategic thinking of how communities can best develop and benefit from snowmobile traffic, the plan will not serve as an effective guidance document. 4) The draft plan does not attempt to quantify expected increases in tourist visitation and also does not address what improvements may be needed, such as lodging and parking lots, to handle increased visitation. 5) The draft plan lacks projections for increased usage of the trail system and does not address those stewardship needs generated by the impacts of increased usage in relation to the needs for rider education, community safety, and enforcement and available funding to sustain these initiatives. 6) The current plan does not address how communities could potentially be impacted by changes in the trail system, either positively or negatively. There is no information on how decisions will be made to involve communities in the network for the proposed connector trails. There is also no information on what the potential community impacts of location along these routes could be. a. For example, what would be the potential land use, car and truck access, recreational and public safety issues/ impacts that could result from an extensive system of roadside snowmobile corridors? b. What community infrastructure may be required to support more extensive, and tourist-based snowmobiling activity? c. What are the potential community costs of necessary improvements from a development and maintenance perspective? Finally, there is no suggested methodology that can assist a community in key decisions in preparation for being part of a trail network in ways that will both improve the local economy and protect community character. 7) The plan does not address the need for a coordinated signage system which will have an impact on how user friendly the trail system will be in terms of visitor orientation. 8) The plan does not address signage or potential conflicts with pedestrians in communities that have sled travel. 9) The plan does not adequately address safety needs within the community or the need for speed monitoring or speed recommendations within communities and the Forest Preserve. 10) In addition, the plan does not propose additional resources for enforcement other than the suggestion that “fees should be dedicated for enforcement.” While the plan acknowledges the need to “increase law enforcement at all levels,” there is no information about how this will be done or what financial and personnel resources will be made available. 11) The plan does not identify the stewardship costs of the trail network or what the costs to the taxpayers will be. 12) The plan does not address how the increased existing network of trails and proposed changes to the trail system will impact other types of winter recreationalists (cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, nature observers, birders). ANCA believes the lack of information identified above makes it difficult to view the plan as “comprehensive.” We request that serious consideration be provided to the need to secure funding to complete an economic analysis of the impact of snowmobiling. In addition, there must be an assessment of how the changes in the trail system will impact visitation. ANCA requests that the plan address how the integrated network of trails should be signed, with location identification and information about when sleds are entering congested community areas. ANCA also requests that the plan address how the development of trail signage can be coordinated to marketing materials, thus enabling visitors to best enter the system through a wide variety of entrance points. ANCA requests that the plan identify the need for a public process that will involve communities that will be impacted by the trail network in decision making about where the trails will be placed and how the community can best promote itself to benefit economically while simultaneously addressing those areas of potential conflict between pedestrians and vehicular traffic. In addition, we request a clear assessment of the costs of making changes to the trail system and where funds will be accessed for stewardship, including enforcement and infrastructure. In that there are a number of questions that we have about the plan, we believe they must be addressed for the plan to truly be a comprehensive review of the impact and potential for snowmobiling in our region. We would like to have the opportunity to review both the comments received to date and the outcome of how you incorporate a response to the commentary. We request that your changes to the draft plan go back through a public review. In addition, we also hope to be invited to future committee planning discussions. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Draft Plan. Sincerely yours, Terry Martino Executive Director |
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