Adirondack Park lands expand further

Parks & Recreation, July, 2004

About 257,000 acres of company-owned forestland in the Adirondacks will be added to the publicly owned Adirondack Park. This project, which was announced on Earth Day, will become the largest land conservation project in New York State's history. The acreage covers parts of nine counties and is substantially larger than all the land within the boundaries of New York City. Previously kept private, the land will now be made open to the public for a variety of uses including restricting future development and subdivision on the property, supporting the implementation of recreational programming, and protecting major river corridors.

"More than too years ago, the people of New York state had the foresight to create the Adirondack Park to ensure the preservation of these environmentally significant lands for our benefit and that of future generations," Gov. George Pataki said. "New York is a national leader in open space preservation and today, as we celebrate Earth Day, we are proud to build on that legacy by announcing the largest land conservation agreement in state history Under this agreement, we will protect more than 250,000 acres that will provide new recreational opportunities for the public and continue to support the local economy."

The first of three phases of the transaction would close in late 2004 with the remainder anticipated to be complete in 2005-2006 as state funds become available.

Under the agreement, New York will pay fair market value for the land it is buying and for the conservation easements. State officials said the land, which is made up of 21 parcels, has not yet been appraised, but the total estimated cost is about $25 million. The money will come from the state's Environmental Protection Fund and the federal Forest Legacy program, officials said.