For Immediate Release: June 6, 2008
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13 at the Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters in Ray Brook, NY.
The Full Agency will convene on Thursday morning at 9:00 for the Acting Executive Director’s monthly report.
At 9:15, the Regulatory Programs Committee and the State Land Committee will hear a presentation regarding a proposed amendment by the NYS Departments of Transportation and Environmental Conservation to update the vegetative management criteria for the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Management Plan. The State Land Committee will consider State Land Master Plan compliance for the proposed amendment.
The Regulatory Programs Committee will then consider approval for a permit and order for mowing, brush cutting, tree removal and herbicide application along the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor. The permit would facilitate vegetative control to promote current and future rail service as well as trail development and maintenance. No new herbicides are proposed other than those previously approved and all herbicides will be applied in strict accordance with NYS DEC labels. Key issues include application of herbicides within five feet of wetlands and application of herbicides within 100 feet of public and private water supplies.
The Committee will also determine whether a proposal submitted by the Adirondack Park Agency for the installation, at its Ray Brook headquarters, of six ground-mounted photovoltaic solar tracking panels is consistent with the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan and whether it will have any adverse impacts on the Park's resources. Once operational, the system will have the capacity to produce 54,000-kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
At 11:00, the Legal Affairs committee will receive a presentation on four draft proposals, which the Agency felt required further discussion and consideration. The proposals are based on technical advisory list discussion topics which correct, clarify and codify existing practices related to (1) definition of boathouse; (2) abandonment; (3) conversions under Section 811(1)(b) of the APA Act; and (4) conveyances by gift, devise or inheritance. The committee meeting will conclude with discussion of legal guidance on articulated docks.
At 1:00, the Department of Environmental Conservation will present information on a proposed amendment for the Bog River Complex Unit Management Plan to the State Land Committee. The proposed amendment would regulate the timing, frequency and location of floatplane access on Lows Lake through a mandatory permit system. Under this new alternative, floatplane access to Lows Lake would continue for a set period of time subject to restrictions set forth in an annual permitting process administered by DEC.
DEC staff will conclude the committee meeting with a presentation on the Department’s processes for managing administrative personnel that maintain trails on State Land.
At 2:00, the Park Policy and Planning Committee will hear a presentation related to a proposed technical map amendment to the Official Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan Map involving lands under the jurisdiction of the Hudson River- Black River Regulating District (HRBRRD). These lands are owned by the State of New York but are incorrectly identified on the Official Map as private lands. This map amendment will correct this error and show these lands as State Land, pending classification.
The proposed amendment involves 3,323 +/- acres of land in the Town of Benson and Town of Hope, Hamilton County; Town of Northampton, Village of Northville, Town of Mayfield, Village of Mayfield, Town of Broadalbin, Fulton County; and the Town of Providence, Town of Edinburg, Town of Day and the Town of Hadley, Saratoga County. Staff intends to bring this matter before the Agency for action during its July meeting. Prior to the July meeting, staff will seek input from local officials in the towns and villages where the land is located.
At 3:00, the Enforcement Committee will meet to determine two enforcement matters; one involving an alleged shoreline setback violation and the other involving an alleged commercial use violation.
On Friday, June 13 at 9:00 a.m., the Park Ecology Committee will hear a panel discussion on Wildlife Habitat Connectivity. The panel will highlight ongoing research to quantify wildlife connection needs, identify critical areas for protection, and develop protection criteria at different scales. The panel will consist of Dirk Bryant from The Nature Conservancy, Michale Glennon from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Matt Schlesinger representing the New York Natural Heritage Program.
At 10:30, the Local Government Committee will hear a presentation by Dr. Richard Lamb, regarding the Town of North Hudson’s proposed new zoning law, subdivision control law and Junk Storage Law.
The Full Agency will meet at 11:15 to conclude its meeting with committee reports and take actions as necessary.
Meeting materials are available for download from the Agency’s website at: http://www.apa.state.ny.us/Mailing/0806/index.htm
The next Agency meeting is July 10-11, 2008 at the Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.
August Agency Meeting – August 7-8 Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.