Hi everyone. I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy this nice spring weather.

Once again, I’m writing to ask for your help. As you may know, there has been unauthorized trail building activity taking place on the Hammond Hill State Forest. For example, a section of narrow trail has been built between Cannan Rd. and Y7, along with a small bridge and log ramp east of Y7. The trail and structures have not been approved by the DEC. Unauthorized trail building is of concern because: 1) improperly built trails and structures may create a personal safety hazard, 2) unauthorized trails are not officially mapped or marked, and may confuse and/or frustrate first time visitors or and/or novice recreationists, and 3) improperly located trails may result in chronic erosion and/or maintenance problems and further stretch already thin volunteer and DEC stewardship capabilities.

Please help me get the word out on this. People should not be building new trails or structures of any kind without written authorization from the DEC. I’d like to solve this problem through communication and education if at all possible. People advocating for new trails are invited to contact me and/or participate in the unit management planning (UMP) process. A draft UMP for the Hammond Hill and Yellow Barn State Forests, called Twin Sheds, is currently being prepared. Additional information on the Twin Sheds unit is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/62269.html

Please help. If you witness people constructing new trail structures or trails, please immediately report the activity to DEC Forest Ranger Joan Oldroyd (jtoldroy@gw.dec.state.ny.us or 607.798.1797) and provide as much information as you can (i.e., license plate, vehicle color, etc.).

Thanks for listening. I personally appreciate all of your work on - and advocacy for - the Hammond Hill State Forest trail network.

Sincerely,

- John

Attachment: Hammond Hill State Forest map and brochure

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John M. Clancy
Senior Forester, Region 7
NYS DEC Division of Lands and Forests
Bureau of State Land Management
1285 Fisher Ave.
Cortland, New York 13045
(607) 753-3095 or 800-388-8244 ext. 258
FAX: (607) 753-8532
Email: jmclancy@gw.dec.state.ny.us

- Visit the DEC Web Site at:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/
- DEC Division of Lands and Forests Web Site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/650.html
- DEC Region 7 Web Site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/615.html#Region

- Strategic Plan for State Forest Management
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/64567.html

- New York State Conservationist Magazine
http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html

Member, Society of American Foresters
Serving Since 1991

Laws change; people die; the land remains.

- Abraham Lincoln