NYSMLA Presidents message and Moose River Primitive Rendezvous contact info.

BPB message

The State of NY has a poll out asking opinions on land use.

Here is my opinion:
Which by the way has been my opinion for some time now. I could have written another 1,000 words but proper gramer and writing are not my strong points. Plus the arthritis in my hands really hurts.
~
I to replied to the survey and noticed the 15 mile travel question. It was and the survey is geared towards locals.


With the few questions that leaned towards groups.
I'd have to say my group, NYS Muzzle-Loaders Association has used the Moose River Plains camp site for over 20 years now. We have a good relationship with the Park Ranger and others we come in contact with. We are a fixed part of the Town of Inlets fall festivities. A few years ago we came close to losing our campsite due to the restructuring proposal.


However with that said & on a personal note.
I was part of a camp that had meet for decades along the Independence river. Being a new member invited to come camp it was only a few years until they were locked out due to the road less regulations that have swept New York & the nation as a whole. The avg. age of that group was over 50 years old.

Yes we, the people of the 21st century are a motorized group as were many who visited the area over the past century. I warned the DEC that to close off lakes, ponds and roads would be in direct violation of the American Disabilities Act. The sportsmen of this nation are an aging population. With age comes physical limitations. Physical limitations means motorized access is not only needed but required. Building a dock on a stream for a wheel chair disable individual made for a nice photo op but did nothing to help gain access to a back woods pond.

You cannot manage land by locking a gate and stating; "Here now we've done our part to return this land to the wild. For future generations to come visit and see what great stewards of the land we were."

Yea well, nice line, but who is going to visit an inaccessible area? No one will. They will drive by on the pave portions and say, oh look at all the trees. Local business will/ have suffer just as when the big game firearms season was changed to a Saturday. Locals diners & Mom/Pop shops went from full seats to empty.

As an example the Town of Ohio recreation part hosted the NYSMLA shooting events for over 30 years. About 5 years ago they upped our camp fee from $100.00 a weekend to $500.00. We could not afford that kind of increase. We were forced to find another location that would host our events. This move cost us many members who could not afford to travel. We purchased local firewood, food & fuel. We fished, hiked and came to relax and visit. This no longer happens at the Town of Ohio. That was a direct economic impact to the area.

The road less & wild forever regulations in New York and across this Nation have disseminated small towns and rural business at a time when even a few dollars injected locally can mean the difference between make or break. I don’t spent that money any longer in those areas. I no longer have a 27 foot camper. The 4 wheeler was gone 2 years after it was purchased when we found out there was no place to ride it. The canoe that sat for 3 years was sold in 2010.

The forest have been hit by disease , wind and a limited logging practice. The monoculture of pines planted in some areas do not support a diverse habitat. The state~ IMO should not be in the land business.

Look around the nation and you’ll see thousands of camp sites abandon and up for sale if they are not foreclosed on. Many people who have fallen on hard times simply walked away from that second home in the mountains or resort areas.

On a final note:

For years I’ve told sportsmen the only way you can control the land is if you own it. Special interest not-for-profits are allowed millions of dollars in grants to hold and manage land then the state purchases this land at a later date. Mean while sportsmen’s groups only seat at the table is our opinion. This needs to change. I should state it needed to change 50 years ago.

The state pushed by special interest groups has turned the land & rural economy into a failed society. Food to fuel, taxes to fund NYSERDA and smoke and mirrors energy refunds. Fifth century technology to generate electricity on a mass scale.

It’s not hard to figure out.
When you make the land inaccessible who will come visit? It’s like locking the doors on a business & complaining we have no customers.

Yes were a motorized people & we were locked out of the land & business we supported for a century.

Wm. J. Brookover
Ontario, New York
& Rayle , Georgia

You can follow the links in this article , leave an opinion and take the survey.   Regards BPB

NYSMLA.ORG's letter to APA & DEC Moose River Plains area

Dear APA;


As a New York State taxpayer, sportsman and user of the Moose River area I make the following comments on the Moose River Plains Unit Management Plan. As an organization the New York State Muzzleloaders take this issue to heart as they have been a special use group of this area for many years holding their “Primitive Rendezvous” annual in the meadow. If this UMP is not carefully crafted it will become an area which excludes many sportsman and women and while the “Wilderness” moniker is idealistic, it is not practical for the users of these resources. The following comments summarize the changes we support in moving the UMP to approval;


Support the intensive use corridor and roadside camping.

Extend the intensive use area from the Red River to the Limekiln Gate, allowing the placement of three to four more Camp sites and securing the entrance to the area.

Vehemently oppose reclassification of 15, 000 +- acres of wild forest as wilderness. Such action will restrict access for the handicapped and the majority of the public. Leave the area as wild forest and construct recreation corridors allowing access into this area.

Vehemently oppose the closing and subsequent removal of the Little Indian and Otter Brook Roads that lead Squaw Lake, Muskrat Lake and the Little River. These bodies of water provide some of the best trout fishing opportunities in New York State and have been accessed by the sporting community via motor vehicle for many, many years with no discernable negative environmental impact. The roads are maintainable and provide access for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities and “individuals in the middle” who are not fit enough to hike to these prime fishing locations. It is difficult to understand the thinking behind this recommendation.

It just plain doesn’t make any sense!

Oppose any actions that create “wilderness buffer zones”, which essentially restrict access on wild forest lands.

Oppose the designation of any management areas that restrict access by the public especially those who are physically limited or have special needs..
Support the float plane access, as outlined in the plan, leading to Beaver Lake, Little Moose Lake, Squaw Lake, and Little Indian Lake. Recommend designation as a special management area that will allow float plane use to be maintained in perpetuity.
Support ATV access during participation in Department of Environmental Conservation licensed activities such as hunting, fishing and trapping.

Please take action to modify the plan accordingly.


Thank you for your time and consideration


Eric K. Bratt
New York State Muzzleloaders Assoc / Past President
1680 Mudge Road
Delanson, NY 12053

Moose River Plains UMP

Subject: Fw: Moose River Plains UMP sent by Bill Lloyd 1st NYSMLA President

FYI, forwarded from Dave Corr :

As you know I attended the UMP Hearing in Inlet on 8/16/10. I addressed them and had a great deal of support. All 27 of those that spoke were of the same ilk. I got to start off behind the town of Inlet Spr.

There were a few good things in that they want to add a snowmobile connector to Raquette lake. And they want to add a new intensive use area but just along part of the road.

The bad parts are that they will continue to not be able to monitor the invasive, heritage strains, acid rain etc in the wilderness areas. They want to close another 4 miles of raods from the Otter Brook Trail to Squaw.. They want to reduce the number of camping sites from 174 to 83 which will be better "suited for the wilderness experience". In the future though,there "may be the capacity for up to 150 sites". In addition they will take nearly 15,000 acres into wilderness which would represent 25% of the MRP. I have attached a copy of the comments that I made.

I urge everyone that you know or might be interested at all to write to Keith Rivers, NYSDEC Region 6, 7327 Rt 812, Lowville, NY 12885 (ph 315 376-3521)

IF YOU CARE AT ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE MOOSE RIVER PLAINS THEN WRITE TODAY!!!!! THE DEADLINE IS 8/30/10
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Moose River Plains UMP 8/16/10

I am here this evening to address the proposed changes to the Moose River Plains Recreational Area. A name that was designated in 1963, when the land was first acquired. At the time the DEC Commissioner Wilm announced the acquisition was in response to the “heavy demand for water oriented recreational areas”, He further stated that there is “considerable frontage on the Main and Middle Branches of the Moose River”. And that the “several well kept woods roads leading to the interior of the parcel provides excellent public access”. Lastly he stated the “lakes and terrain around it are ideally suited to the establishment of this form of recreational facility”.

Now we are to ignore the last nearly 50 years and simply merge another large piece of the MRP to be wilderness… I hope not.

The last version of the proposed UMP map shows that the intensive use areas are to exclude the area from Limekiln gate as well as the section from Otter Brook to Squaw Lake. In reality, at the last Public hearing hear in this very same room, the public was assured by forester Eric Kasza that the WC UMP map was incorrect and that the road from Squaw Lake to the Moose River would not be closed. But that was not true and we, the public, were lied to. You can understand why you can have a serious credibility issue in many peoples mind.

It amazes me that there was not sufficient money neither to keep the MRP open, nor to maintain trails this year but there is money to remove campsites?? The gate to lock dam is still closed as of about a week ago. 16% of the local economy is based on the MRP and yet the effort is to condense will only reduce the overall usage, detract from the quality of the area, and adversely impact the local economy.

It seems every UMP that I have seen continually restricts access for the young, old, older or disabled. I would like to take my grandchildren to some of the areas in the MRP as I did my children and my father did with me.

I urge you to not take the Sly Pond areas and trails, maintain the access from Limekiln Lake thru to Indian Lake and also maintain the access to Squaw lake and beyond to the Moose River as we were originally told. I am in favor of providing the snowmobile connector.

Thank you for this opportunity to express my position.

Dave Corr
Corr Road
Inlet, NY

Moose River Plains Wild Forest

The road is rough,so what it's a wilderness area. The continued excuses by the DEC to close everything based on budget is BS. The state has funneled billions of dollars into not-for-profits over the years while sportsmen are tossed the scraps. As we all know the corruption coming from New York City politicians who have stolen millions to fund family members in shelter so called "do good groups" is continuing today as I write & post this letter.
One huge example of waste is the COBIS division of the NYS Police. This department is nothing but a $20 million dollar money pit & to my knowledge not one crime has been solved by collecting shell brass casings from pistols.

So, does this mean the NYSMLA will have to look for another Vous area and make arrangements before our October frolic?
I sure don't know. What I do know is the Town Of Ohio park was our home base for over 30 years and the local board priced us right out of the place. Now the MRP is not looking so inviting. I had spoke with the DEC region 5 reps and was suppose to have been alerted to any new happenings so lets see if I get some sort of official letter explaining if the NYSMLA will be able to host our event.
Patience is not one of my virtues.
BPB
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For Immediate Release:
From : Mitch Lee, Adirondack Storyteller, Columnist, Tourism Town Of Inlet
Ltmitch3rdny@aol.com 315-357-5501

Closure of the Moose River Plains Wild Forest , one of New York States and America ’s largest primitive camping areas is shameful.
On May 6th I learned that the New York State DEC is planning to keep the gates at the Inlet and Cedar River entrances to the Moose River Plains Wild Forest closed for the summer of 2010. The reason given is that DEC feels with the current budget situation prevents them from properly maintaining the road.
This latest news on New York State 's decisions to limit access to this public Adirondack Park area follows a litany of sites across the state, both historic and recreational, that are slated for closure in 2010.

But this closure is unique because it affects not only the recreation of thousands of users for brook trout fishing, tent camping, hiking, backpacking, bird watching and mountain biking, it also dampens the local economy of two communities that depend on the eco-tourism that so many people go to "the Plains" for.
The Moose River Plains Wild Forest was created around a core of some 50,000 acres purchased from the Gould Paper Company in 1963 to be used as a primitive recreation area. 140 sites are available to primitive free camping along the 48 miles of hard-scape dirt roads that wind through the Plains.
Add to that more than 27 miles of trails that lead to hikers to beautiful remote ponds, some with primitive sites. The terrain varies from flat grassy plains filled with berry bush and beaver vly’s along the south branch of the Moose River to forested mountains with spectacular unspoiled views.

This from the DEC Web Site
“The Moose River Plains Wild Forest is bounded on the north by the Pigeon Lakes Wilderness Area, Raquette Lake and the Blue Ridge Wilderness, on the east and the south by the West Canada Lakes Wilderness and the private lands of the Adirondack League Club, and on the west by the Fulton Chain Lakes and State Route 28. It is the largest block of remote lands in the Adirondacks readily accessible by motor vehicle and includes the Red River, the South Branch of the Moose River and the 675 acre Cedar River Flow.

The Moose River Plains Wild Forest offers many recreational opportunities, including hiking, skiing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, canoeing, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and primitive camping. Miles of marked trails and numerous lakes and ponds make this unit an ideal destination for recreationists with varied interests and abilities.”

Some of the best Adirondack brook trout fishing can be found at Ice house Pond & Squaw Lake and more good fishing is to be found at Lost, Helldiver, Mitchell, Sly & Whites pond as well. Beaver Lake , the largest body of water in the Moose River Plains, is one of the best mountain bike & camping destination rides in all of the Northeast. The five rivers that cut through the park have become home to a growing moose population. And great for a moose watch drive.

The Moose River Plains also hosts four major outdoor events, The Adirondack Birding Festival safari drives, National Trails Day scenic day hikes, the Black Fly Challenge Mountain Bike Race, and the NYS Muzzle Loaders Primitive Rendezvous. Some of these events have been a part of the Plains for decades and are important to the thousands of people as well as the economies of Inlet and Indian Lake .
The loss of use and access to these 50,000 acres would be a great sacrifice to so many visitors who are looking for a primitive experience like no other in New York and devastating to a local economy built on eco-tourism