The New York Senate and Assembly released their one-house budgets earlier this month as negotiations over Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2024 spending plan continue. The Forest Preserve Coalition is praising lawmakers for restoring a dedicated funding line to the Environmental Protection Fund’s State Land Stewardship for the Adirondacks and Catskills.
The State Land Stewardship fund pays for things like educational trail stewards, trail maintenance, infrastructure including parking, trailheads, kiosks, sanitation, accessibility projects, and visitor use management planning and implementation.
Adirondack Mountain Club Director of Advocacy Cathy Pedler says without the funding, recreation is compromised for both tourists and local communities.
“You know having it lined out is so important because it really pins that money to the Adirondacks and Catskills and it allows projects to be initiated and allows the projects to continue year after year. We got it started last year with $8 million, and our ask was $10 million last year, and this year we sent our letter again requesting that $10 million in there and it didn’t make it in the Executive budget proposal. But that’s why it’s so important that the Senate and the Assembly put it in their one-house budgets.”
Town of Morehouse Supervisor Bill Farber says local governments in the Adirondacks and Catskills has been advocating for additional stewardship of Forest Preserve lands over the last few budget cycles. He’s pleased that the legislature has restored the funds in their budget proposals.
“We have such dramatic needs around our hiking trails, our canoe launches, our boat launches. Think about the magnitude of just the Adirondacks. Six million acres of public and private land, three million acres nearly of Forest Preserve, conservation easement lands. You’ve got all of those access points. You’ve got trails. We’ve got a lot of work that needs to be done. It could be way more than $10 million but $10 million at least shows a great commitment to the needs of the Adirondacks and Catskills. And it’s great to find the two Forest Preserves really working together and synched up in a way that hasn’t always been the case.”
Catskill Center Executive Director Jeff Senterman says the money is critical to take care of state-owned land in the forest preserves.
“We realize that the Catskills and Adirondacks are the Forest Preserves for all New Yorkers and really for everyone to enjoy. But we’re also aware that without properly investing in them the natural resources can’t withstand that increasing level of use. And the other thing that we have come to understand, especially in light of increasing use over time, is just the impacts on communities. Money will be invested in things like shuttles. It’ll be invested in programs like the stewards programs where people are actively saying I’m sorry this place is full, but here are other options. It’s just a much more active part of knitting together our communities and our forest preserve lands.”
Farber adds that the Adirondacks and Catskills are deeply rooted in a tourism economy and the stewardship funding is crucial for the economic vitality of the regions.
“We all, when we’re out there in nature, do have an impact. And particularly hiking trails on any kind of steep slopes where there’s need for re-routing; where erosion can occur; where water bars are not well maintained. You can have some really dramatic environmental degradation and it really undermines the experience that hikers would otherwise have. And think about the miles and miles and miles of trails that exist within the Adirondacks. The acres and acres that we’re trying to maintain here. Ten million’s a great commitment and to see that commitment coming from both houses of the Legislature is really meaningful.”
The Forest Preserve Coalition represents over six-and-a half million acres, or nearly one-quarter, of New York’s land. The group of 32 organizations and municipalities advocate on behalf of both the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves.
