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
Monday, 18. March 2013
UNAUTHORIZED TRAIL USE and CONSTRUCTION and the Twin Sheds Draft Plan http://canaaninstitute.org/bikeskiblog/?p=1190
There is some language in the DEC’s draft plan for Hammond Hill and Yellow Barn Forests that is upsetting some of the mountain bikers. I am a cyclist, but I am in favor of this language and it is really important that DEC hear written support from the other hundreds or thousands of responsible forest users. Right now I am guessing they are getting form letter responses only from a very select group. Please protect our public forest and show your support to DEC. Please send written comments to DEC now, supporting their protection of the forest with a “yes” on Action 2.2.12. by mail to: NYSDEC, Division of Lands and Forests, Attn: John Clancy, 1285 Fisher Avenue, Cortland, New York, 13045- 1090, or by email to: jmclancy@gw.dec.state.ny.us. Written or emailed comments will be accepted until April 7, 2013.
This is difficult for me, I have long been in favor of little or no restrictions to bicycle traffic. However, Hammond Hill State Forest is beginning to show signs of suffering from the “tragedy of the commons”. It is being loved to death. In order for it to remain to be a beautiful and peaceful place that is home to variety of plants, animals and us occasional visiting people; we need to continue to limit the amount of new trail construction. This is difficult to oversee if modern mechanical devices like mountain bikes can travel anywhere their owners take them without restriction. Limiting bicycles to the current multi-use trail system is a reasonable and prudent precaution.
This quote from the draft plan is accurate: “Unauthorized building of single track mountain bike trail has recently increased on the Unit, particularly on the Hammond Hill State Forest.” As a neighboring land owner who has lived here for 25+ years, I can verify this.
What is probably not known to the general (non-mountain biking) public is that mountain bikes are currently permitted anywhere in this type of forest. This is where the problem arises: There are a number of people building unauthorized new trails at Hammond Hill (this is illegal) and then mountain bikers are riding on them (bicycles are currently permitted anywhere). This is not exclusive to mountain bikes of course; some of this trail building activity is potentially from hikers and xc-skiers. But it appears to be mostly bicyclists using the unauthorized trails and some of the traffic is quite heavy. Parts of the new trails even cross onto private lands. This language below (Action 2.2.12) is intended to help curb that problem: It is nearly impossible for law enforcement to catch the trail builders (and probably always will be). Currently, once the new unauthorized trails are in place, it is perfectly legal to use the trails over and over and over again. That is happening now.
By the way, this new language below means that the “Bikeski” gang would not be able to bicycle on the 30+ yr old logging access trail behind my home known as “sauna trail” because that is not currently part of the multiple use trail network. I can live with that. Walking and skiing would be ok if I read this right. If anyone has other more creative solutions to this unauthorized trail use and building problem, tell DEC in your comments.
Action 2.2.12: Limit Mountain Biking to the Multiple Use Trail Network and Public Roads (this is new)
Limit mountain bike use to the multiple use trail network, public roads and parking lots. Close all areas to mountain bike use on the Twin Sheds Unit (including undesignated routes, fire lanes, former logging trails and single use pedestrian foot trails), except the Multiple Use Trail Network and Public Forest Access Roads.
Unauthorized building of single track mountain bike trail has recently increased on the Unit, particularly on the Hammond Hill State Forest. The Department has received several complaints regarding unauthorized single track trail and structure construction from volunteer stewards and neighboring landowners, and, unless curtailed, the problem will continue to grow. Unauthorized trail and structure building is of concern because: 1) improperly built unauthorized trails and structures may create a personal safety hazard, 2) unauthorized trails are not officially mapped or marked and may confuse novice recreationists, 3) improperly located trails may result in chronic erosion and maintenance problems, stretching already thin volunteer and DEC stewardship capabilities, and 4) closing of established unauthorized trails and removal of structures requires significant resources.
Action 2.2.2: Prevent unauthorized construction of trails and structures. (this is not new: no change that I can remember)
Per Department regulations, building trails without authorization from the DEC is prohibited. In addition, structures such as jumps are not allowed unless specifically approved in writing by the Department. Accordingly, Lands and Forest staff will 1) collaborate with DEC Adopt-A-Natural Resource Stewards, neighboring landowners and the DEC Division of Law Enforcement to educate and inform the public of applicable policy and regulations, and 2) work with law enforcement officials to enforce applicable regulations if necessary.
Action 2.2.11: Limit trail development.
No new trail networks are currently planned on the Unit. Trails that connect the Unit’s existing trail network to other trail systems will be considered on a case by case basis. The total unit trail network, including any new connecting trails, will not exceed 30 miles (a change of about 11%) during the planning period (the current trail network is about 27 miles).