Trail Update

[ccockrell]

I'm wondering about the proposed change of route out of Northville thru to Whitehouse. Has the route been officially changed? If not, will it? If so, when?

[RC]

It hasn't been changed....It is going to be changed...but I don't know when it is going to happen.

[sky]

Since we're talking the state here......give it another 5-10 years.

[redhawk]

I'm wondering about the proposed change of route out of Northville thru to Whitehouse. Has the route been officially changed? If not, will it? If so, when?

5 years to get off their butts and overcome all the opposition,

10 years to get the rights of way they need through private property

20 years to finally allocate the funds

And then the funds won't be available.

Hopefully this dies, It's just a bad idea and all the communities are against it as well. Same with the road closing in Wells.

Hawk

[Bill I.]

The Benson re-route is just a matter of getting the $$ and labor in place. Theoretically both exist at this moment, so all that needs to be done is for DEC to commit by signing that check.

No private land is involved in the proposed new route, and at least one community--Northville--is very pleased since the proposed new "official" start to the trail will be the town hall at 412 South Main St. According to the Shaker Mountain UMP:

It was the consensus of a combined town/village board meeting that the southern terminus of the NP Trail be located in the village...

p. 293

So let's be careful with the broad generalizations, especially inaccurate ones.

The Cedar River Road re-route might be a different matter. The pending Finch Pruyn acquisition may provide a more interesting alternative than the route proposed in the Blue Ridge UMP, which would skirt the lower flanks of Metcalf Mountain on its way to Stephens Pond. The new acquisition might permit routing the trail along an existing logging road alongside the Cedar River. I have therefore heard some interest in reopening the discussion on this section.

A third re-route is located in Piseco. This one is very minor--just moving one trailhead from Haskell Lane to the airport, eliminating about 1 mile of road walking. The connecting trail already exists, so this one is just a matter of moving the signs.

[redhawk]

According to my understanding, the proposed route requires an easment or right of way through some stretches of private Property along the Benson road unless they are going to route it to come out somewhere on River Road.

My "inaccurate source" is my neighbor on Abrams roate who is the local Ranger.

At the hearings I Attended, there was a lot of opposition to the whjole plan. I know that are on my end, the Town of Wells is suing the DEC over the closing of West River Road a couple of miles from Whitehouse.


For one thing, the road is actually maintained by the town, not the state, and has been for years.

Fo r a second thing, closing the road to Whitehouse would make it more difficult for some of the hunters up here who are in their 80s and 90s that have hunted out of Whitehouse all their life.

Couple that with the fact that under the proposal, the DEC would be making NEW campsites on West River Road to Replace the ones that will be lost. Part of the closing of Whitehouse was supposedly the problem with the campers in there. So, there going to just move them two miles furthur down the road and impact the environment more?

As for Northville, a good many people oppose the proposed plan because it involves cutting more trail. I'm sure there are a few business people in Northville who think that making that the beginning of the trail will draw business into town, but they are sadly mistaken.

I know a lot of people who live in Northville, Benson, Hope and Bleeker and in my conversations with them, they are all opposed.

Finally, with the pii**ing contest that's been going on with the state and the owners of Cathead Mountain, there's not a lot of support for the DEC with anything in this area.

So, that's what my "Generalizations" and "inaccuracies" are based on. The people I know who LIVE in the area, as I do.

Hawk

[Bill I.]

This thread is about the NPT reroute in the Northville-Benson area, so I'll restrict my response to that.

The state's proposed new route is available in print for anyone who cares to review the maps and the alternates considered. This section of the trail is covered by two separate management plans:

Shaker Mountain Wild Forest
Silver Lake Wilderness

If you use the tables of content for both plans, you should find sections in each dedicated to the NPT relocation.

In summary:

From the town hall in Northville, the trail will follow public highways to Gifford Valley Road. The state acquired some land here in 1980 where a new trailhead may be created. The trail will pass Mud Pond and cross West Stony Creek (a new lean-to is proposed here) and then head north. It will cross Benson Road and follow the existing herd path to Woods Lake. The trail will then circle around private property to connect with the existing NPT at the North Branch of West Stony Creek.

This will replace the current section of the NPT that begins on NY 30 near Northville and follows Benson Road to the current trailhead on Godfrey Road. This section of the NPT is rarely used by the public anymore.

As I said, this is all public information. The Silver Lake Wilderness plan is available online at the link above. The Shaker Mountain plan can be ordered free of charge from DEC, or viewed at the DEC office in Northville.