46 corners state forest

[backpacker]

For Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Stephen W. Litwhiler
Tuesday July 15, 2008 (315) 785-2252

PUBLIC INVITED TO REVIEW PROPOSED MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR
46-CORNERS STATE FOREST
Meeting Scheduled for Aug. 5 in Camden

A proposed management plan for the 46-Corners State Forest,
featuring new wildlife viewing platforms, universally accessible fishing
piers and a snowmobile parking lot, is now available for public review,
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 6
Director Judy Drabicki announced today.

The public has an opportunity to comment on the draft "Unit
Management Plan" (UMP) for 46-Corners at a meeting slated for 6 p.m.,
Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the Camden High School cafeteria. The school is
located at the corner of Route 13 and Florence Hill Road in the Village
of Camden, Oneida County. Attendees are encouraged to attend to express
their opinion on the management objectives outlined in the draft plan.


The 46-Corners Unit Management Plan covers 18,032 acres of state
forest land spread across parts of Annsville, Camden and Florence
(Oneida County), Redfield (Oswego County) and Lewis (Lewis County). It
includes eight state forest properties: Big Brook State Forest, Cobb
Brook State Forest, Fall Brook State Forest, Florence Hill State Forest,
Furnace Creek State Forest, Mad River State Forest, Tri-County State
Forest, and Swancott Hill State Forest. These are all located north of
state Routes 13 and 69, north of the Village of Camden and between the
East and West Branches of the Fish Creek. Most of the county and town
roads in this part of the county touch various pieces of the state
forests. This area is part of the Tug Hill Plateau.

These state forests are dedicated to watershed protection, the
production of forest products and provide an opportunity for outdoors
recreation. The UMP addresses these multiple-use objectives and also
includes wildlife resources, open space conservation, accessibility and
woody biomass. The plan tries to manage for as many of these resources
as possible where compatibility was reasonable and where the natural
resource would not suffer from additional impacts. The overall
objective for the unit focuses on maintaining its wildness, preserving
historical uses, ensuring biological diversity and optimizing public
benefits.

46-Corners is easily accessible with 56 miles of road (county,
town and DEC forest access roads) dissecting the unit. The landscape
diversity is enhanced by the 1,520 acres of wetlands, much of which
includes current beaver ponds and old beaver meadows. The abundant
wetland resource provides plenty of opportunities for trappers in
pursuit of beaver, mink, otter, and fisher. There are 50 miles of
tributaries that provide for excellent trout spawning habitat. Anglers
and bird watchers enjoy the four man-made ponds in the unit. There are
also 29 miles of snowmobile trails throughout the unit and two miles of
trails designated for ATV use for persons with disabilities.

One main recommendation of the draft plan is to develop a
sustainable timber harvest schedule. Standard guidelines are outlined in
the plan for all harvesting actives around streams, ponds and wetlands.
The forestry objectives of the plan are designed to maintain a strong
softwood component in the unit while also providing key wildlife
habitat.

New recreation facilities proposed in the draft plan include:

o A wildlife viewing platform at the end of Wentworth Road on
Furnace Creek State Forest.
o Universally accessible fishing piers for both Johnny Smith Pond
and Cassbaker Pond.
o 18 campsites. Nine will be in high-use areas including on Johnny
Smith Pond and Cassbaker Pond. The other nine would be primitive
campsites located off the roads in the different state forests.
o A snowmobile parking lot to accommodate 25 trailered vehicles
off Hanifin Road.
o A cross-county ski trail on Mad River State Forest.

The draft UMP is available for public review at the DEC
headquarters in Albany, the DEC regional office in Watertown, and at the
DEC's Lowville and Herkimer regional sub-offices. Copies are available
in print form or electronic format on compact disc from the Lowville
office and may be requested by calling (315) 376-3521. The draft plan
will soon be available on DEC’s Unit Management Plan web page at -
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4979.html .

Any individual or organization interested in providing
comments or receiving additional information about the recommendations
within the management plan can contact Andrea Mercurio at DEC, 7327
State Route 812 Lowville, NY 13367. Or call (315) 376-3521. If you want
to e-mail comments on the UMP, send them to [email protected] .
Comments on the draft plan should be received by August 30, 2008.

[Matt]

has someone actually counted the corners on this forest to confirm the 46?

[backpacker]

good question