Newsletter, Adirondack North Country Association

THE LEDGER

The Adirondack North Country Association Newsletter ... Summer 2006 Volume 13, Issue 1

THE LEDGER
Table of Contents
New Tool
Coming Up
Plaque
Canoe Trail
Oly. Byway
Central Adk
Grass-Based
Black River
Buyer Days

ANCA
Regional Map
Join Us
Contact Us
Recent News
Newsletter
Annual Report
Board Members
Publications
Project Partners
Staff
History
Strategic Plan

Northern Forest Canoe Trail Ceremony and Plaque

Plaque reads:
Presented to Adirondack North Country Association June 3, 2006
in Recognition of your Partnership
to Make the Northern Forest Canoe Trail a Reality.

Kate Williams, Executive Director. Northern Forest Canoe Trail; Lisa Dyslin, NFCT New York Representative; Terry Martino, Executive Director, Adirondack North Country Association ; Lani Ulrich, Executive Director, CAP-21; Nick Dyslin, NFCT New York Representative at the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, June 3, 2006.

Olympic Scenic Byway: Proposed Extension and New Route Loop

by Sharon O'Brien
Kathy Amyot at the Tug Hill Commission has been working with ANCA’s Scenic Byway Coordinator, Sharon O’Brien to prepare the Byway support material required by NYSDOT to progress the Olympic Scenic Byway goal to extend the route ten miles past its current terminus at the intersection of Routes 3 and 180 to a new western terminus in the Town of Henderson. The new site has strong ties to the “Olympic” theme as Association Island, which appears on the immediate horizon, served as home to the athletes training for the 1939 and 1976 Olympic Sail Boating Competition.

On May 18, 2006 ANCA staff visited the proposed site at the public boat launch and popular fishing site in Henderson Harbor located directly on the shore of Lake Ontario. The location offers a panoramic view of the lake, adequate parking, a convenient, vehicle turn around area, and a green space on the water’s edge for future Byway interpretive signage that will inform visitors about the 170-mile route.

Work is also underway on the proposal to add a new driving loop as part of the Olympic Byway corridor in the Towns of Wilna and Champion in Jefferson County. The loop will intersect at Routes 3 & 3A in Deferriet and traverse along the Black River through the Villages of Herrings and Carthage to the intersection of NYS Rt. 3 & 3A in Fargo. The new loop will give travelers the option of staying on the Route 3A bypass across the edge of Fort Drum or taking Route 3 which served as the original stage couch route and will take visitors into downtown Carthage. Services and resources that appeal to tourists were named by community members during the creation of the Corridor Management Plan. Local leaders are eager to become a part of the Olympic Byway and share in the benefits offered through the official status of Byway community.

Amyot is working with local community and country representatives in drafting the project submission which will include a detailed description of the routes; historical, cultural, and recreational resources; a map of the project areas; community and economic development benefits; and the names of local government, business, and tourism project supporters. ANCA will submit the package to NYSDOT for review and then advise Tug Hill on the next steps in the process to request legislative support for changes to the existing official State Byway route.

The project has been met with enthusiastic support from the Town Supervisors and Boards who have drafted Resolutions of support. Additional planning support was offered by NYSDOT Region Two’s Scenic Byway Coordinator, Anna Forbes who oversees Byway projects in Jefferson County.

ANCA and the Tug Hill Commission are pleased to have the opportunity to work with communities to implement the planning goals put forth by local representatives to address the future of the Byway route by promoting tourism and stimulating economic development in the North Country Region.