Controversy Surrounding the Use of Roadways in the Adirondack Mountains Puts Snowmobile Enthusiasts at Odds with Environmental Conservationists
Home to Mount Marcy, New York’s highest peak at 5,344 feet, the Adirondack Mountains in the state’s northern region are beloved by locals and tourists alike. Cold, snowy winters make sports like skiing and snowmobiling extremely popular in the region, but the Adirondack Park Agency and local law enforcement have regulated use of snowmobiles in the area — or so they’ve said.
In 2012, the state committed to buy 20,758 acres of forest land within the Adirondack Park. Since the area is part of a wildlife conservatory, there is now a question of how much of the land will be available to motor vehicles, like cars and snowmobiles.
The Adirondack Park Agency has yet to decide the proper jurisdiction, but some area organizations have suggestions.
The Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages has suggested that an old logging road should remain open in order to access a series of three connecting ponds. The Boreas Ponds offer commanding views of the area mountaintops, giving kayakers and canoers the illusion that they are paddling atop a mountain peak.
The association want the ponds to remain accessible to the public by road, so that more people can drive up to enjoy the area’s groundbreaking beauty. The group also suggests allowing mountain bikes on the trails surrounding the ponds.
Without road access, people would have to hike eight miles from the nearest road in order to get to the ponds.
Another group, the Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, believes that the road to the ponds should be closed to all motorized access, including snowmobiles. The advocates say that this would preserve the area’s uniqueness.
According to the Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, allowing snowmobiles and other vehicles to access these roads increases the risk of introducing invasive species to the area. For example, Japanese knotweed has been found along the newest trail between the towns of Newcomb and Minerva. The plant grows in disturbed areas and along roadsides throughout the Adirondack Park.
While many residents and tourists have been grateful for the addition of a snowmobile trail, the Wilderness Advocates as well as other organizations within the area are distressed over the state of the park’s preservation.
“The political reality is we have a governor who wants to build a snowmobile trail,” said Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, referring to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s previously stated support for such a trail.
The Adirondack Park Agency will begin hearings on Nov. 9, 2016 before making a decision.
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