DEC RELEASES DRAFT WEST OF HUDSON MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT

Public Meeting Scheduled for Oct. 17 in New Paltz, Comments Accepted until Nov. 16 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today the release of the Draft West of Hudson Unit Management Plan (UMP) for public review and comment. The UMP encompasses 7,990 acres in the towns of Warwick, New Windsor, Montgomery, and Hamptonburgh in Orange County, and the towns of Plattekill, Esopus, Saugerties, and Ulster in Ulster County.

“Unit Management Plans are an important tool to assess the unique natural resources, recreational opportunities, and economic benefits of our protected areas, and provide a solid foundation for the development of long-term land management goals,” said Regional Director Kelly Turturro. “Public participation is an essential component of our planning process and we look forward to hearing comments and ideas from all interested residents and stakeholders as the plan is developed.”

A public meeting is scheduled to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed management actions in the draft UMP and to encourage comment on the proposals. The session and meeting will be held at DEC’s Region 3 Office, 21 South Putt Corners Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561. DEC staff will be available to talk one-on-one with the public.

The public availability session is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 6 -7 p.m. The public meeting starts at 7 p.m. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please provide any requests for specific accommodations to (845) 245-3000 at least two weeks in advance.

The consolidation of the management units (properties) is recommended in the State Land Master Plan to allow for more efficient use of resources and to plan for management actions on specific State Forest properties and considers previously approved UMPs in the planning process.

West of Hudson State Forest UMP properties are located in Ulster and Orange counties. State Forest lands in this plan include:

• Pochuck Mountain State Forest (506 Acres), town of Warwick, Orange County;
• Mount Peter Hawk Watch (5 acres), town of Warwick, Orange County;
• Stewart State Forest (6635 acres), towns of New Windsor, Montgomery, and Hamptonburgh, Orange County;
• Hemlock Ridge Multiple Use Area (83 acres), town of Plattekill, Ulster County;
• Black Creek State Forest (578 acres), town of Esopus, Ulster County; and
• Turkey Point State Forest (140 acres), town of Saugerties, Ulster County.

The public will have the opportunity to provide oral and/or written comments at the public meeting or submit written comments anytime during the public comment period which runs through Nov. 16, 2018. DEC will review and address all comments received during the public comment period.

Paper copies of Draft UMP are available for review at the DEC Region 3 headquarters in New Paltz and available for review at the Town of Esopus Library in Esopus, NY, and Albert Wisner Public Library in Warwick, NY. To view the draft plan to go to: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/wohump.pdf. Comments, questions and/or requests can be directed to Evan Masten, Forester, NYSDEC Region 3, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561, or r3UMP@dec.ny.gov.

  DEC, hudson management plan, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, UMP, Unit Management Plan