New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is reminding hunters and other users of state lands in the Adirondacks of recent changes to land use regulations regarding motorized equipment and structures in some parts of the park.

Using motorized equipment is now prohibited on lands classified Wilderness, Primitive and Canoe. Also placing structures and storing personal property is prohibited on all state lands, unless authorized by DEC.

The prohibition on use of motorized equipment on lands classified as Wilderness, Primitive and Canoe in the Adirondack Forest Preserve became effective March 10. The prohibition includes chainsaws, generators, and motorized vehicles and vessels.

Some motorized equipment may still be used on the roughly 1.3 million acres of forest preserve lands classified as Wild Forest provided all other regulations are followed.

The use of small personal electronic or mechanical devices such as cameras, radios or GPS receivers are not affected by this new regulation.

The prohibition on placing structures and storing personal property on all state lands without authorization does allow for the these exceptions:

• a camping structure or equipment that is placed and used in accordance with regulation

• a tree stand or hunting blind that does not injure a tree, is properly marked or tagged with the owner's name and address or valid hunting or fishing license number, and is placed and used during big game season, migratory game bird season, or turkey season

• a legally placed trap that is placed and used during trapping season

• a wildlife viewing blind or stand that is in place for no more than 30 days in one spot per calendar year, does not injure a tree, and is properly marked or tagged with the owner's name and address or valid hunting or fishing license number; or

• a geocache, except in the High Peaks Wilderness, that is labeled with the owner's name and address and which does not disturb the natural conditions of the site or injure a tree.

The full regulation regarding the use of motorized equipment on state lands (Section 196.8) may be found at www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4075.html, and the full regulation on the structures and storage of personal property (Subsection 190.8(w) is at www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4081.html.

A map of the Adirondacks showing the state lands and their classifications is at www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/adk012209.pdf.