Environmental advocacy groups are urging New York voters to approve a state constitutional amendment.
Proposition One asks New York voters to approve a state constitutional amendment that resolves issues around construction at the biathlon and Nordic ski facilities at Mt. Van Hoevenberg near Lake Placid and also adds land to the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
The proposition would allow the Olympic Regional Development Authority, or ORDA, to construct, operate and maintain facilities on no more than 323 acres. To offset, that the state would be required to buy an additional 2,500 acres that would be added to the Forest Preserve.
Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Claudia Braymer explains why she believes the amendment is necessary.
“Over the years there has been some construction that has taken place on the Forest Preserve that was outside the boundaries of the Forever Wild restrictions. And so it’s really necessary to have a constitutional amendment that brings Mt. Van Hoevenberg into compliance with Article 14.”
Adirondack Council Communications Director John Sheehan says passage of the amendment will maintain the integrity of the Forever Wild clause and help delineate what is and is not legal at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
“ORDA had done some things in the past that were not constitutionally proper and we had asked them to clean those up with a constitutional amendment and they agreed to do that.”
The amendment requires the state obtain 2,500 acres of land to counterbalance ORDA continuing to use facilities on the 323 acres. Braymer says it is not a land swap.
“It’s compensating the Forest Preserve for the fact that these 323 acres are not going to be managed totally as Wild Forest anymore. But the 2,500 acres will be managed in full compliance with Article 14 as Forever Wild.” Braymer adds, “The 2,500 acres has not yet been identified. It could be anywhere inside the Blue Line and it has to be valued at a similar amount or more than the 323 acres. But we do hope it will be adjacent to some other Forest Preserve.”
The proposed constitutional amendment, which has not seen robust opposition ahead of Election Day, begins with “Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions...” Braymer is concerned that voters will not understand the ballot language and will then not vote on the measure.
“It’s not anything scary. We hope people will flip their ballot over and vote yes because it really is to respect the integrity of Article 14 and compensate the Forest Preserve and we need it to go through.”
Sheehan explains what will happen if this constitutional amendment fails.
“If they don’t have permission to use the trails and the biathlon targets or any of the trailside snowmaking equipment they’ve installed there it would have to come out,” Sheehan noted. “This use amendment essentially would allow the Olympic Authority to use this portion of the Forest Preserve for as long as it was needed for this Olympic training facility and once that facility is not needed anymore in that location, this could revert back to Wild Forest again.”
Article 14 of the New York constitution states: “The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands.”
