Adirondack conservation organizations issued a press release on Monday saying they were “pleased that the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) was pumping its brakes on a controversial amendment to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan that would create an administrative loophole and open remote wilderness areas to motorized vehicles.”
The organizations called on the APA to drop that portion of its proposal and instead allow the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to create a statewide plan that excludes motor-free official Wilderness Areas.
The amendment is part of a package of recently proposed changes to the Master Plan, which governs public land management in the Adirondack Park. The proposed amendment would redefine “motor vehicle” to exclude motor vehicles, including cars, trucks and all-terrain vehicles that are sometimes used by people with mobility disabilities.
The proposed change would mark a drastic weakening of the master plan, which has since its adoption in 1972 prohibited all public motor vehicle use on Forest Preserve lands classified as Wilderness Areas.
It is opposed by the Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondack Wild/Friends of the Forest Preserve, Adirondack Wilderness Advocates and Protect the Adirondacks.
The organizations say “there is a better way to promote access for persons with disabilities, while at the same time protecting the few Wilderness Areas in the Adirondack Park from motorized intrusions.”
Proposed Change Opens the Door for Motor Vehicles in Wilderness
Currently, powered wheelchairs are already allowed on all public lands in the Adirondack Park on all portions of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Wheelchairs may go anywhere that feet are allowed to go.
The APA’s proposed amendment would address outdoor-only mobility devices, referred to as “other power-driven mobility devices” (OPDMDs). OPDMDs are currently allowed in some “forever wild” Forest Preserve land classifications with a special state-issued permit but cannot be used in Wilderness areas.
OPDMDs include golf carts, e-bikes, ATVs, UTVs, and trucks. Under the APA’s proposed amendment, these devices would be exempt from the master plan’s current definition of “motor vehicle,” thus lifting the ban on their use in Wilderness Areas.
The organizations say they oppose the proposed amendment because it directly contravenes the master plan’s definition of Wilderness Areas and will permanently alter the Forest Preserve landscape and its ecologies.
The APA has previously classified all of the potentially affected lands as being too sensitive for motorized recreation.
The Adirondack Park is a globally significant resource, representing one of the largest and most intact temperate, deciduous forests in the world.
With wilderness areas making up only 3.3 percent of New York’s land, these protections are essential to preserving not only the ecological health of the region but also its cultural and recreational value, the organizations said.
The Americans with Disabilities Act allows for a balanced approach, recognizing the unique and sensitive qualities of Wilderness Areas.
It exempts federally designated Wilderness Areas and allows states the flexibility to protect state-designed Wilderness Areas while expanding access elsewhere.
The organizations called on APA to withdraw the proposed change and instead focus on improving access statewide while upholding the Agency’s conservation mandate for the Adirondack Park.
“The policy should reflect the input of a broader range of stakeholders including the accessibility community, be tailored to the unique needs of New York’s diverse landscapes and the constitutional and statutory protections governing the State’s wilderness areas,” the organizations said. “It should consider the practicalities of funding, implementation, and enforcement of such a policy.”
“Ultimately, a statewide policy would better ensure that accessibility measures are implemented with care, aligning with Wilderness protection principles and landscape contexts – rather than APA’s current approach,” the organizations’ statement said.
Federal guidelines allow states to develop OPDMD policies, including limitations on where these devices can or cannot go, their weight, noise and size. In addition, federally designated wilderness areas – upon which the definition of wilderness areas in the master plan is based – do not allow OPDMDs.
This is because motor vehicles are inconsistent with wilderness attributes, have negative impacts on wildlife, forest ecology and water quality.
Currently, approximately 1.5 million acres of Wild Forest lands are open to motorized use, providing opportunities for persons using OPDMDs to access remote and wild parts of the Forest Preserve.
Organizational Leaders Explain Why a Small Change Could Lead to Big Problems
“With the proposed OPDMD amendment, the Agency is failing its core mandate when it comes to Wilderness protection and resource management. The DEC should lead in crafting a comprehensive, statewide policy that allows for thoughtful, tailored approaches to accessibility that respect the ecology and character of wilderness areas,” said Raul J. Aguirre, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council.
“The Adirondack Park’s agencies should never allow ATVs and trucks labeled as mobility devices to invade rare Wilderness areas, said Adirondack Wild’s David Gibson.
“The APA should keep the Motor Vehicle definition intact, continue to prohibit all motor vehicles in Wilderness, and push the DEC to draft predictive, ADA-compliant policy for the use of mobility devices on public lands statewide,” Gibson said.
“DEC should also support services trained to assist persons with disabilities to experience Adirondack Wildernesses without use of motors. APA should keep Wilderness areas wild for the benefit of us all, and for the benefit of wildlife which cannot speak for themselves.”
“No one wants to exclude people with mobility
It is unclear whether the APA will bring the proposal back to its board for preliminary approval at its March monthly meeting. It has received more than 1,500 public comments on its plan, most of them negative. Amendments to the State Land Master Plan require approval by the Governor.
Illustration: Map of paved roads in the Adirondack Park (Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force Final Report).
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