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Colton campowners have until March 23 to decide to keep camps or they will be demolished

Posted 3/12/17

By MATT LINDSEY COLTON -- Owners of nearly 40 Adirondack camps threatened with demolition have until March 23 to let Sen. Patty Ritchie’s office know if they wish to keep their camps following …

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Colton campowners have until March 23 to decide to keep camps or they will be demolished

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

COLTON -- Owners of nearly 40 Adirondack camps threatened with demolition have until March 23 to let Sen. Patty Ritchie’s office know if they wish to keep their camps following lengthy negotiations with the Department of Environmental Concern and the landowner.

Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, met with camp owners March 9 at the St. Lawrence County Legislative Chambers and answered questions that were submitted to her office.

“Thursday night’s meeting was an opportunity to share with club presidents and members answers to questions they were seeking from DEC and Danzer,” said Ritchie, who hosted the meeting. “This was another step toward a potential solution that would allow North Country sportsmen to continue their hunting tradition that in many cases, they have been part of for decades.”

Camp owners submitted questions to Ritchie’s office a few weeks ago and she had officials from Danzer and DEC answer them prior to the meeting. No representatives from DEC or Danzer attended the meeting.

Since 2012, Danzer Forestland Inc., has been in negotiations with DEC in an effort to keep the 37 camps, which were scheduled to be removed by February of 2015. After negotiations ended in the summer of 2016 without an agreement, Ritchie asked DEC and Danzer to re-start discussions this past November.

DEC has advised the landowner, camp leesees and Sen. Ritchie’s office that we are amenable to discussing a conservation easement amendment that results in a net conservation benefit, according to DEC Public Information Officer Benning DeLaMater.

“We are still in negotiations with Danzer and no agreement has been reached at this time,” DeLaMater said.

Camp owner Walt Paul, who mailed a “Hail Mary” letter asking Gov. Cuomo and others to halt to the plan, believes an agreement could have been reached years ago and is still skeptical of the deal.

“I suspect there are many finer details yet to be agreed to between Danzer and DEC and one point we should not forget, it was the DEC that negotiated the camps out of the easement agreement in the first place,” Paul said.

Paul says Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office did not reply to his “Hail Mary” letter.

Hundreds of people use the camps at the Long Pond easement along state Highway 56.

Deal Offered to Camp Owners

Camp owners will pay Danzer, who will then compensate or trade with DEC for the camp retentions, Ritchie said. The exact amount owed for each camp is still to be determined.

The date of the last appraisals are no longer valid due to the time lapsed, so two new appraisals will need to be done.

“It is expected the value being placed on the camp retentions will be similar, but the exact amount wont be available until after the new appraisals are complete,” Paul said.

Following a Jan. 11 meeting between camp owners and Sen. Ritchie, camp owners were told they could keep their camps if they paid $15,000 each to Danzer Forestland.

There is no minimum number of camps that must participate.

However, the amount of the actual payment per camp will depend on the new appraisals. New appraisals will update the lease camp income stream and the per acre value of the land to be conveyed New York state.

The standard leasing fees will remain very similar, Ritchie said.

The current agreement calls for camp owners to pay Danzer $2,000 each year for rights to the camp building and one acre. The income is used to help offset a small portion of the overall cost of properly managing the property, including property taxes, forestry and other management costs, environmental compliance etc.

It is Danzer’s intent to only adjust the annual leasing fees based on inflation and local market rates for hunting leases,” she said.

Danzer is willing to contractually commit to a ten-year period to camp owners, meaning camp owners would have rights for a decade. Camps would receive one acre of land as part of the deal. The public would be prohibited from accessing that part of the land.

Some questions still remain.

It is still unclear whether those that may wish to retain their camps will have to come up with a lump sum upfront for the camps or if there will be a period of time allowed for payment such as so much per year over a period of years.

“This would be Danzer’s call,” Paul said.

“Danzer may decide to allow the camp lessees to pay their share to Danzer over a five year period,” Ritchi said. “However, Danzer will need to transfer an equivalent value of land in fee or Conservation Easement (CE) to the state of New York prior to the recording of the conservation easement modification deed.”

“Sen. Ritchie’s office will get back to us with the answers to the remaining questions and we must let her office know if camp owners desire to keep their camps by March 23,” Paul said.

If the camp lessee decides not to participate, they can remove the camp if they choose; otherwise Danzer is will remove the camp this spring.

Paul had not spoken to other camp owners so he was not sure what their plans were pertaining to keeping the camps. At the meeting, Paul said many of the appeared “frustrated and bordering on angry.”

“Sportsman have become accustomed to this treatment,” he said.

Years of Negotiations

“This could have been resolved several years ago, in a more timely fashion with less expense to the state and Danzer if DEC would have accepted Danzer’s offer of property they own down state.

Danzer offered DEC a piece of property located somewhere downstate in in exchange for the camps, Paul said. “As I understand it DEC was not interested in that particular piece of land.”

“That arrangement certainly would have been fairer to the camp owners. I believe Danzer’s offer was not accepted as a result of the DEC’s propensity to cater to the environmental groups, who in all likelihood were threatening litigation, and as part of the deal to minimize the pushback the land offered by Danzer had to be in the Adirondack Park.

DEC says the goal of its Conservation Easement program is for New York’s former industrial forestlands to continue contributing to the local economy as working forests, as well as to acquire a mix of public recreation rights on the majority of these properties.

Paul says that despite the hard work of Sen. Ritchie and her staff who have kept this alive, he is not optimistic this will be resolved in a way that sustains the Adirondack hunting camp traditions on the Long Pond Easement for most of the camps.

“It’s not right, it’s not fair and it certainly reflects the state of affairs in New York state...needs of the taxpayers and people on main street second to the whims of lobbyists, environmental groups with deep pockets and state agencies,” Paul said.

Ritchie said that there are no other known amendments to the easement that will impact the clubs and lessees.

“With that said, Danzer does expect a more defined Road Maintenance Amendment to assure all stakeholders reasonable and safe access to the property for fire, rescue, and public recreation.”

The proposed easement modification will follow DEC “procedure for the Modification or Extinguishment of a Conservation Easement” regulation. The proposed modification would be vetted through a public meeting and 30-day public comment period.

Hail Mary Letter Unanswered

The camps were scheduled to be removed by February 2015. After negotiations ended in the summer of 2016 without an agreement, Sen. Ritchie asked for DEC and Danzer to re-start discussions this past November.

Paul sent a “Hail Mary” to Governor Andrew Cuomo and other North Country politicians near the end of 2016 in an effort to save the camps.

There was no response to the club presidents “Hail Mary” letter from the governor’s office or any of his staff. “So much for being responsive to the taxpayers and little people,” Paul said.

“I understand how much the hunting camps on the Long Pond Easement mean to many people from the region I represent and beyond,” Ritchie said. “These camps have been in families for decades and I’m pleased that we were able to identify a possible solution that will allow them to remain and will provide people with the opportunity to continue their hunting traditions here in the North Country.”

Ritchie represents the 48th Senate District, which includes the northern edge of St. Lawrence County from Louisville to Hammond, and Ogdensburg, Canton and Gouverneur.

The 1999 conservation easement, as agreed to by DEC and the original property owner, called for a reduction in the number of lease camps to six, but allowed 37 camps to remain in use for 15 years from the time the conservation easement was recorded.