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.
More then one out of every 5 acres in NY State is publicly owned and is used as parkland. Here are a series of maps of various regions of NY State showing the boundaries and classifications of various types of land.
It’s interesting to map the median age of New Yorkers by Census Blocks. While certain census blocks show a median age that is noticeably younger then some, e.g. juvenile institutions and colleges, a broader trend can be seen in Catskill and Adirondack Parks — residents there tend to be older.
Looking at this map, one can conclude residents of the Southern Tier, Tug Hill Regions, and North Country tend to be younger compared other portions of state, while in surburban areas people tend to be somewhat younger. Cities tend to have youngest populations, especially in neighborhoods touched by poverty and blight.
Despite what you might think, residents of Mohawk Valley are not particularly older then the rest of state. If anything, they are slightly younger. The idea that all of the young people are moving away from the Mohawk Valley isn’t supported by data, or at least new young people are coming back to replace the lost people.
If you ask many people today, the assumption would be almost everybody has a Bachelors Degree, if not more education then that. Yet, except in the most suburban (and wealthy) portions of state, Bachelors Degrees are relatively uncommon — often held by fewer then 1 in 10 people over 25 years of age.
It turns out there is a close connection between suburban lifestyles and having a bachelors degree. Zoomed into closer into a map of the Capital District, you will note how closely link suburbanization is to number of people with a bachelors degree.
That said, obtaining that Bachelors Degree might be worth your while — if you avoid college debts, and land a good job after college. Indeed, the wealthiest portions of state tend to have the highest percentage of those with Bachelors Degree, e.g. the suburbs.
It’s probably wrong to assume one is wealthy or well off with a Bachelors Degree, or that all rural folks are backwards hicks leaving in poverty. It’s more that the more affluent (in money terms) suburban life tends to require more schooling then more rural or urban occupations.
Across New York State, bigger and meaner children are stealing the lunch money from smaller and weaker children. It happens every school day, and while it may not be fair or right, it’s likely to continue for the forseeable future. As it would be almost impossible to stop — we should do next best thing — license schoolyard bullies.
Licensing schoolyard bullies could bring in a sizable portion of revenue to the state. Nobody knows how much lunch money is stolen every year, but figuring there are millions of kids in Public Schools, there is the potential for millions of untapped revenue. Licensing schoolyard bullies could be a potential goldmine to tap to reduce the state’s yearly deficit.
Understanding the problem of bulling in schools, the state could dedicate a portion of funds coming from licensing and taxing bullies go to bullying prevention. A 50% tax on profits by school bullies could do a lot for all children. It would make the bullying business theoretically less profitable, and discourage bullying. It also would provide funds to monitor the actions of bullies to ensure that actions are appropiate — extracting funds from weaker children — while making sure their actions aren’t too abusive or harmful.
The fact is we are never going to get away from bigger and mean kids bullying weaker kids, and stealing their lunch money. It’s just part of growing up for the most unlucky of children. Yet, if this insitution is to exist, then at least their should be a kind of public function to schoolyard thief of lunch money, specifically funding of government.
… and remember, school yard bullies are not organized, and are too young to vote.
New York State has the well known Forest Preserve in Adirondacks and Catskills (provided for in Section 1) and State Forests and Wildlife Management Areas (provided for in Section 2) outside of the Blue-line designated Forest Preserve Boundaries. Yet, on November 4, 1969 the voters of New York State admended the consitution to add a new section that called for a new type of land — The State Nature and Historic Preserve — now managed by the new Department of Environment Conservation.
Article XIV Section 4:Protection of natural resources; development of agricultural lands.
The policy of the state shall be to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty and encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of food and other agricultural products.
The legislature, in implementing this policy, shall include adequate provision for the abatement of air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise, the protection of agricultural lands, wetlands and shorelines, and the development and regulation of water resources.
The legislature shall further provide for the acquisition of lands and waters, including improvements thereon and any interest therein, outside the forest preserve counties, and the dedication of properties so acquired or now owned, which because of their natural beauty, wilderness character, or geological, ecological or historical significance, shall be preserved and administered for the use and enjoyment of the people.
Properties so dedicated shall constitute the state nature and historical preserve and they shall not be taken or otherwise disposed of except by law enacted by two successive regular sessions of the legislature.
Since 1969, only 35 facilities have been added to the State Nature and Historic Preserve. While most of these properties are not contigous, they consist of some the most interesting public lands in NY State.
