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State Land Acreage By Classification

Andy | January 13, 2012

All figures are in acres except where noted. Table updated April 2011. Reprinted from the DEC Website.

Land Classification		Region 1	Region 2	Region 3	Region 4	Region 5	Region 6	Region 7	Region 8	Region 9	Catskill Park Total	Adirondack Park Total	State Total	Percent of Total State Land and Conservation Easements
State Forest		16,056	758	31,763	102,248	58,354	221,924	200,419	55,581	99,121	–	16,264 **	786,224	17%
Forest Preserve	Wilderness	–	–	89,352	53,482	954,601	206,151	–	–	–	142,834	1,160,752	1,303,586	28%
	Wild Forest	–	–	75,588	60,368	938,664 **	367,123	–	–	–	135,956	1,305,787	1,441,743	31%
	Primitive	–	–	–	–	31,309	15,704	–	–	–	–	47,013	47,013	1%
	Primitive Bicycle Corridor	–	–	15	283	–	–	–	–	–	298	–	298	0.006%
	Canoe	–	–	–	–	18,989	–	–	–	–	–	18,989	18,989	0.4%
	Intensive Use	–	–	4,104	1,542	21,591	1,828	–	–	–	5,646	23,419	29,065	0.6%
	Administrative	–	–	392	0 ***	384	7	–	–	–	392	391	783	0.02%
	Historic	–	–	–	–	531	–	–	–	–	–	531	531	0.01%
	Pending Classification	–	–	–	–	259	111	–	–	–	–	370	370	0.007%
	Under Water* (Unclassified)	–	–	–	–	17,395	6,534	–	–	–	–	23,929	23,929	0.5%
	Detached Parcel	–	–	1,382	4,141	1,441	4,318	–	–	–	–	–	11,282	0.2%
	Total Forest Preserve	–	–	170,833	119,816	2,001,313	601,776	–	–	–	285,126	2,597,267	2,893,738	61%
Wildlife Management Area		6,007	–	12,021	18,518	6,524 **	46,371	49,562	41,462	17,178	407 ***	2,755 **	197,643	4%
Conservation Easement		108	21	7,264	7,286	488,463	336,783	436	–	10	9,437	769,579	840,371	18%
TOTALS:		22,171	779	221,881	247,868	2,554,654	1,206,854	250,417	97,043	116,309	294,970	3,385,865	4,717,976	100%

Notes from the DEC.

* Certain lake beds are considered Forest Preserve, despite some level of private ownership adjacent to the lakes. These underwater lands are not classified. For the purposes of this table, however, lakes and ponds that are completely surrounded by Forest Preserve have been classified the same as the adjacent land.

** Where State Forests and Wildlife Management Areas exist within the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan also classifies these lands as Wild Forest. However, since these lands are not Forest Preserve, State Forest and Wildlife Management Area acreages within the Adirondack Park were NOT included in the Wild Forest category.

*** Where Wildlife Management Areas exist within the Catskill Park, the Catskill Park State Land Master Plan also classifies these lands as Administrative. For calculation purposes in this table, however, Wildlife Management Area acreage within the Catskill Park was NOT also included in the Administrative category.

So Why Does the Albany Pine Bush Commission Choose Not Recycle?

Andy | January 10, 2012

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve as seen from the Frontage Road on Washington Avenue …

And view from the Overlook Dune…

And the Albany Pine Bush Preserve from the Alfred E Smith Building Observation Deck …

Walking in the preserve, I noticed the Albany Pine Bush Commission’s dumper, very full, and very full of recycables.

Exploring the dumpster, I found it full of junk mail, office paper, and plenty of other recycables …

The more you dug around there, the more aluminum cans and office paper you found in the dumpster.

And even more recycable trash …

… so if the Albany Pine Bush Commission is such a green organization, then why don’t they recycle paper, tin cans, magazines, junkmail, and so many other recycables ?

..here’s Some Tip “Green” Sheets for the Albany Pine Bush Commission, brought to you by the New York State Power Authority Recycling Exhibit.

Bring Those Longjohns

Andy | December 30, 2011

Probably the number one thing I forget to pack when fall, winter, and spring camping (and hiking) is my longjohns. I literally have like 10 pairs of longjohns, because I’ve had to go out and buy more pairs when I forget them and I’m a long ways from home.

Longjohns may seem silly. But they really do much to keep you warm. Yet, they aren’t something that’s normally visible to the public, and as such they are out of site and out of mind.

Yet, as soon as you get out in the woods, and start to have cold legs, you realize how nice it would be to pack your longjohns. Sure, one can get another cheap pair of cotton longjohns at any Walmart, but one would be better of it they just remembered to pack longjohns from the get go.

It’s always a good idea not to forget your longjohns!

2011 Pictures of the Year

Andy | December 29, 2011

January.

After a fresh snow fall it was a winter wonderland in the Albany Pine Barriens, a forever wild ecosystem on the outskirts of the city. It felt like one was walking through a marshmallow forest.

A cold winters day at my parents house in late January, after a long cold spell that never seemed to want to end.

February.

A icy sheen shown on the snow at Partridge Run, as I went for an afternoon walk with the dogs up there in the middle of the month.

Snowshoeing back down Bennett Hill in late February.

March.

A recently logged section of Cole Hill provided breath-taking views of Irish Hill and the Fox Kill Valley down in Berne.

What a clear spring day up at Horseshoe Clove at Thacher Park. Warmer, nicer days can’t be far way.

April.

April 9th was the first day I got out camping in 2011. Spent the day exploring Rogers Environmental Center, camped at Moscow Hill Horse Assembly Area.

It may start to warm up earlier in lower elevations, but winter is still very much a force in late April in the Adirondacks. The East Sacanadaga River on this morning looks icy and cold.

May.

There’s Albany! From my kayak. I kayaked up to Downtown Troy from the Corning Preserve.

Spring finally comes to Adirondacks by late May. Paddling around Cheney Pond, looking towards Sand Mountain in the distance, on the other side of Hoffman Notch.

June.

Kayak camping on Stockmans Island in the middle of the Hudson River. What an adventure, one I picked on a night when they had fireworks up at the Coxscake Town Park.

Oswegatchie River up in Watson’s Triangle in Adirondacks. There are few places as remote as this that you can drive on largely unmarked and rarely traversed back country roads. Watson’s Triangle is a place far of the beaten path.

July.

A dramatically cloudy day, looking down towards Tupper Lake from Mount Arab.

Cooling off at the Potholers on an oppressively humid summer’s day.

August.

Exploring Beaver Creek at the Brookfield Railroad State Forest in Brookfield, NY.

Watching the fog burn off Beaver Creek at Brookfield Railroad State Forest on a summer morning..

September.

A beautiful late summer morning at North Lake in Adirondacks. North Lake is such a jewel, especially as you head farther north on the largely undeveloped portion of the lake.

Fall was well underway, and even past peak at Moose River Plains by September 20th.

October.

Second week of October, I went up to the North Country for some leaf peeping, hiking, and kayaking. The colors may be faded in Central Adirondacks, but still were good in lower elevation parts of the Northern Adirondacks.

And later in October, I drove up to Snake Mountain in Vermont, overlooking the Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks. Colors lasted the longest

And by October 30th, we had snow, actually several inches, as seen up at Lake Taghkanic State Park.

November.

In November I visited Monreau Lake State Park for the first time, and checked out the Palmerstown Ridge above the Hudson River and Spier Falls. These power lines transfer power from Spier Falls Hydro Dam over to Corinth.

I also hiked up Windham High Peak. I hadn’t been there in many years, and it was interesting to look down at Preston Hollow and Medusa, far, far below.

December.

On Christmas Day, I hiked up Hadley Mountain. While cloudy and cold, it was very beautiful.

While the pond at Thacher Park was frozen, there still is very little snow locally.

Why I’ve Gotten Away from Using NYSDOT Topographic Maps

Andy | December 28, 2011

For the first year of doing topographic maps, I relied extensively on using NYSDOT topographic maps, I originally downloaded from the NYSGIS consortium website. The NYSDOT topographic maps have a lot of good information on them, an in many ways have the most accurate topography.

But what I’ve also found with those maps is they have several real limitations…

1) They Don’t Scale Well.

NYSDOT topographic maps are designed to viewed at 1:2400 feet ratio, as they are 7.5″ quads. You can get away with rendering them anywhere between 1:1800 to 1:2600, but beyond that the text looks too small, too crowded, or two pixelated. For smaller parks and larger areas, NYSDOT topographic maps do not work well.

2) Unneeded Information and Clutter.

DOT Topographic Maps try to suit the need of any user, and include information like town lines and other jurisdictional information that is unnecessarily for the average outdoors person.

3) Outdated Information.

Often topographic maps have dated information on man-made boundaries and buildings. The state often buys new land, demolishes existing buildings, and closes off trails. Old trails appear on topographic maps, as do labels such a “Restricted”, even though to this day such roads may be valid, despite the incorrect or outdated information on topographic maps.

4) Metric Scale; Differentiating Contour Scales.

Metric elevations are maddening for anyone trying to calculate their elevation from select DOT topo maps, and often when you load multiple topographic maps, they do not fit together seamlessly, as one will be using one unit for contours, while another will use another unit. Contour scales throughout the state very widely, which when put together can be confusing.

On the other hand, topos do have some benefits…

1) Most Accurate Shorelines.

The Census Water Area and Liner Water Shapefiles from TIGER/Line are pretty accurate, but they are not nearly as good as topographic maps.

2) Wetlands.

Currently I don’t have any good source of data or wetlands to add to my maps. I probably should do more research into this, as I know the state does have wetland maps available — but how much of a PITA are they to use?

3) Buildings.

Topographic maps have many of the buildings on them. While this information can be outdated, it does provide useful information to the viewer of such maps. TIGER/line has some features, like cemeteries and some buildings, but this data set is tiny compared to what’s on the NYSDOT topographic maps.

Public Parks vs Occupy Movement

Andy | December 23, 2011

I am concerned about what the Occupy Movement means for our public parks. Public parks are the commons in our society, the places where anybody may go to gather and to recreate. Public parks belong to us all, therefore private individual organizations must not be allowed to have exclusive use to them.

Inherit in the concept of a public park is that man is just a visitor, and that nobody resides there permanently. Parks are places where men dwell only temporarily for fellowship or solitude, it is an escape from the private places we normally reside in.

When kayaking on a lake or hiking a mountain, one may stop to enjoy the view. You only stop for a few minutes to enjoy the view, and then you move on. Your experience is non-exclusive, anyone can walk by when your there, or come by five minutes after you’ve left in solitude. Laws prevent you from building a house or setting up long-term residency there, you must move on an allow others to see what you once saw.

Campsites are same way. Whether in a DEC Campground or a back-country site, one can only set up a campsite and camp there for a set amount of time. Typically this is limited to two weeks except during Big Game Season. When your time is up, you must pack up your gear, and leave the site cleaner then you have found it.

When your camping, a campsite becomes your temporary place of residency. You unpack your gear, you make a fire, you set up your tent. You cook your meals there, you camp there, and you probably do your business in an outhouse or in woods a short ways from there. For all purposes, you live there and campsite is like your house for a short period of time.

A campsite is never an exclusive site. Campsites can get elaborately set up, with lots of canopies, tents, lanterns and other gear. Some people hang Christmas lights and drive in large RVs to campsites. You may dwell there for a while but after a number of days you must pack up and leave. Others may then use your campsite, enjoy the views and benefits the public lands provide for all that wish to use them.

Public parks are excellent places for individuals and groups to get together and discuss public business. They are good places to get together and protests. Many parks are large, and can accommodate large groups of people. Many parks are appropriate for camping and other recreational pursuits.

Yet, we can not allow any individual or group to remain in a park for too long of a period. Individuals must remain visitors, those who come only for a short period of time to enjoy the land in solitude or fellowship. Two weeks, needs to remain the maximum use for a piece of land, except in very narrow exception.

… Allowing people to stay too long in a park, only serves to undermine the concept of public lands and the commons.

Looking Back at 2011 in Photos

Andy | December 21, 2011

Today will take a look back at Year of 2011 in photos. Next week, I plan on doing an article featuring the Best of Photos of 2011. UNIX_TIMESTAMP(‘2011-1-1’) AND `date` < UNIX_TIMESTAMP('2012-1-1') ORDER BY `date` ASC"; $query = mysql_query("$sql"); while ($series = mysql_fetch_assoc($query) ) { $date = strtotime($series['dated']); if ($prevdate != date('F', $date) ) { echo '

‘.date(‘F Y’, $date).’.

‘;
$min = strtotime( date(‘F 1, Y’, $date) );
$max = strtotime( date(‘F t, Y’, $date).’ 11:59 AM’);

$sql = “SELECT `phototypes`.`filename` AS ‘type’, `photos`.`filename` FROM `photos`,`phototypes` WHERE `photos`.`typeid` = `phototypes`.`id` AND `date` > $min AND `date` < $max AND `phototypes`.`filename` NOT LIKE 'maps%' ORDER BY rand() LIMIT 1"; $pquery = mysql_query("$sql"); $photo = mysql_fetch_assoc($pquery); echo "

\n\n

“;

}

echo “{$series[‘title’]} / “.date(‘F j, Y’, $date).”
“;

$prevdate = date(‘F’, $date);

}