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Hunting camps on old Champion land in Hopkinton, Clifton, Clare can stay, DEC says

Posted 3/30/12

Leasing of recreational camps on the former Champion lands in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Herkimer, and Lewis and counties will be allowed under an agreement reached this week. Under the terms of the …

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Hunting camps on old Champion land in Hopkinton, Clifton, Clare can stay, DEC says

Posted

Leasing of recreational camps on the former Champion lands in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Herkimer, and Lewis and counties will be allowed under an agreement reached this week.

Under the terms of the 1999 agreement with Champion, the leased camps on the easement property acquired by Heartwood Forestland, the owner of a conservation easement on the former Champion lands, were to be removed by 2014.

The tracts in question are in the towns of Hopkinton, Clifton and Clare in St. Lawrence County, the towns of Waverly, Santa Clara and Duane in Franklin County, and the towns of Croghan and Watson, Lewis County.

The area includes the Tooley Pond Tract in Clare and Clifton.

The announcement from the DEC said the department and Heartwood Forestland worked with many other stakeholders to explore options to maintain the tradition of camp leasing in this area.

The new agreement will give Heartwood the discretion to permanently permit no more than 220 camps to remain on one-acre parcels after 2014. The entire 139,000-acre property will be open to public hunting, except for the one-acre camp parcels.

“This is great news for the north country,” said Robert Snider, Town of Clifton Town Supervisor. “The tradition of hunting and hunting camps is an important part of our heritage.”

DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said the agreement “recognizes the importance hunt clubs play in the day-to-day management of these lands and in ensuring the long-standing traditions of hunting, fishing, camping and hiking will continue.”

In return, Heartwood will transfer the 2,797 acres of land to the state in two parcels adjacent to the state’s existing Deer River holdings.

A 2,146-acre parcel within the Adirondack Park will be added to the State Forest Preserve as part of the recently classified Deer River Primitive Area, and a 651-acre parcel outside the park will become a new state forest land. These parcels will provide access to a previously inaccessible detached Forest Preserve property and will be open to the public for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and other outdoor recreation.

Charles H. Collins, Managing Director, the Forestland Group, LLC, which manages Heartwood Forestland said, “We are pleased this project is now complete as it aligns the Champion easement with the other conservation easements in the Adirondack Park. This amendment will demonstrate that traditional, regional uses of this ownership can be combined with our fundamental goals of sustained natural resource management and access to these lands for the general public. This project will benefit the natural resources of the Adirondack Park, the communities and residents who live in and around the Park, and the Park’s many visitors both from within New York state and around the country. The cooperative effort involved in this project is a testament to its value to the North Country. We look forward to a continued close working relationship with all of our conservation partners.”

New York State Conservation Council’s Access and Land Use Specialist, Walt Paul, said, “It’s a great day and I’m sure a relief for families with camps on the former Champion Lands to finally have some resolution to this situation after 12 years of hard work by many, many people. The sporting community recognizes and truly appreciates the hard work and persistence on the part of DEC staff to bring this to closure. What became evident during the discussion and seemed to be a turning point is the realization that sportsmen and women and their families have been good stewards of these lands for many years and that the contributions they make to our regional economies are significant and very important.”

A full Environmental Impact Statement and Responsiveness Summary was prepared for the agreement, which is available for viewing on DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/59344.html.