ࡱ> %` bjbjNN 4,,V>V>V>V>D>TZj>???V@1AJ{CDفہہہہہہ$ăh,u1A1Auu?V@{{{u?V@ف{uف{{:=,}?> <|~V>yi ف*0Zs zR}}TENiV\ {b l EEEz EEEZuuuu## Associated Press coverage (From Lexis Nexis 4/9/09) Danish investors buy 92,000 acres in Adirondacks March 31, 2009 Tuesday 12:22 AM GMT BYLINE: By MARY ESCH, Associated Press Writer SECTION: BUSINESS NEWS LENGTH: 488 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. A land preservation group said Monday it has sold 92,000 acres of Adirondack forest land to a Danish pension fund committed to environmentally responsible forestry. The land, sold by the Nature Conservancy to the ATP fund for $32.8 million, is part of 161,000 acres the conservancy bought recently from a paper company. The conservancy says the land will continue to be used for recreational leasing, hunting, snowmobiling, hiking, kayaking, fishing and other activities. Henrik Gade Jepsen, CEO of the pension fund's ATP Timberland Invest, said the property meets the high standards of its commitment to the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment, a project whose aim is to help investors consider environmental and social issues in their decisions. The land will be managed by RMK Timberland Group, of Atlanta. "There is a newfound enthusiasm these days for investing in natural resources like forestland," RMK President Charlie Daniel said in a statement. "The Adirondacks is a place widely recognized as a model in sustainability, and we are delighted to be a part of this unique region." Foresters from Finch Paper LLC, which sold the land to the Nature Conservancy in 2007 for $110 million, will continue to manage the land until RMK takes over. The sale includes an agreement that the new owner will supply pulpwood to Finch Paper under an 18-year fiber supply deal. The land includes three large parcels in the central Adirondacks and multiple smaller tracts following the Hudson River south to the Finch Paper mill in Glens Falls. It's protected by a strict conservation easement, with the state's purchase of development rights pending. Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, said scientists spent about 14 months identifying significant species and habitats in the 161,000 acres. "The scientific survey helped determine which lands were compatible with forestry and which should be purchased by the state and added to the forest preserve," conservancy spokeswoman Connie Prickett said. The conservancy anticipates that over the next several years the state will use its Environmental Protection Fund to purchase about 65,000 acres and add it to the 2.6 million-acre Adirondack forest preserve, where logging is prohibited. The land sold to ATP includes 60 hunting camps with about 1,000 members. Those leases will be maintained by the new owner. The purchase eventually will provide recreational access to some places that have been off-limits to the public for at least a century. The largest tracts are in a triangle bounded by Indian Lake, North Hudson and Newcomb, about 90 miles northwest of Albany. That land includes about 29 miles of existing snowmobile trails and 35 miles of new trails to connect them so riders can go from Indian Lake to Newcomb. Hikers will gain access to Panther, Buell and Dun Brook mountains in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. From:  HYPERLINK "http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=253412" http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=253412 Accessed April 8, 2009 Nature Conservancy to sell Adirondack timberlands Friday, January 30, 2009 INDIAN LAKE, NY (AP) -- The snow-covered trail wound down through the trees and ended suddenly at an overlook above a 100-foot drop-off. Across the dramatic expanse, a waterfall stood frozen among the evergreens. The vista is part of the 2,948-acre OK Slip Falls Tract that the Nature Conservancy expects to sell to New York state within the next 18 months, along with many other Adirondack timberlands it bought from investors in 2007 for $110 million. That will open the wilderness seen now by only an authorized few and trespassers can be arrested. "Wow," Caitlin Olson said, stopping in her snowshoes near the edge of the overlook, with a half-dozen other hikers. Among the hemlocks, spruce and balsam, the waterfall's ice glistened with hues of yellow and green, ending on a snowy talus slope. The winter hikers, who followed a trail over deep snow set by a caretaker with a snowmobile, generally agreed it had been a good idea to switch from skis about a quarter-mile upslope from the overlook. The only thing guarding the opening between trees, next to the wooden sign that said OK Slip Falls, was two lengths of sagging clothesline. "We'd be shooting one by one off the edge," Olson said. Instead, it was lunch and talk of summer hiking into the nearby Hudson River Gorge, the beaches along the whitewater and other possibilities when the tract opens. Within a few weeks, conservancy officials plan sell another 93,500 Adirondack acres to a logging company. That's the largest piece of the 161,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn paper company land. The next company, which they declined to identify, will get the land subject to conservation easements that prevent development and require logging according to certified "green" standards. The sales are expected to open many of the tracts, including this southwest side of the Hudson River Gorge, to the public. That's where, below the falls, the OK Slip Brook empties. "One of the best features is there's lots of beaches and shoreline," said Michael Carr, executive director of the conservancy's Adirondack Chapter. The tract has 2.1 miles of Hudson River shoreline, the marble Blue Ledges, and almost 100 rare plants. It's the only place in New York where purple mountain saxifrage, hair-like sedge and wild chives are known to exist, the conservancy's Connie Prickett said. The Blue Ledges was described by ecologist Jerry Jenkins as "a small detached piece of arctic mountain" that has "allowed a relic community of northern plants to exist." The various parcels touch 31 towns in six counties. One will be sold back to Finch, while some others will go to towns for community use, Prickett said. Under its three-year timetable, the conservation group will spend $35 million on the project, Carr said. They have raised $16 million so far, and he said support has remained strong despite the downturn in the national economy. "People really passionate about the cause and in a position to support it, they're going to do that all the more because they realize other sources of income may be dropping," said Peg Miller of Niskayuna. She and her husband Jim, both retired Presbyterian ministers, have financially done that for about 15 years. While they care about preserving wilderness in blocs big enough to save habitats, Miller said she believes the nonprofit does a good job taking into account other interests, including the need for jobs and low-income housing in the region. This parcel has been leased for the past several years by the Northern Frontier Brigade Camp Association, which will continue to own 32 acres and hold its Christian summer camp for six weeks in summer and has a caretaker. "It grows a lot of raft guides. The kids fall in love with the gorge," Carr said. While rafters already carry clients down the Class III and IV whitewater of the Hudson, and hikers have been able to come to it through state land on the northeast side of the river in Minerva, the state's purchase will open the southwest side, where there are also OK Slip, Blue Ledge and Carter ponds. The state Department of Environmental Conservation last February said it had agreed to buy 57,699 acres of the timberlands, as well as the conservation easements on another 73,627 acres from the conservancy. The portion being added to the state forest preserve was expected to also include the Boreas Ponds, Essex Chain of Lakes and Opalescent River headwaters, opening to the public gradually over 10 years as hunting club or other leases are phased out. In the face of economic problems, Gov. David Paterson has proposed less money for the state's Environmental Protection Fund next year. But Carr said he's confident the state will keep its word. "We are continuing to talk with the Nature Conservancy about the process," DEC spokesman Yancey Roy said Thursday. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) From:  HYPERLINK "http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/69046.html?isap=1&nav=5027" http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/69046.html?isap=1&nav=5027 Accessed Feb 2009 January 5, 2009 Land deals set up recreation areas across Adirondacks By Michael Virtanen The Associated Press ALBANY The Sable Highlands stretch almost as far as you can see across the northeastern Adirondacks, where outdoor enthusiasts now can freely explore 48,500 acres of wilderness that were once private timberlands and generally off-limits for decades. Public rights to the forests of evergreens and hardwoods was guaranteed when the state bought 20,000 acres from the Nature Conservancy in early November, following on Christmas Eve with conservation easements on 84,000 adjacent acres from the Lyme Timber Co. The deals permanently secured longtime hiking trails up Lyon Mountain and Owls Head 15 miles away, while opening up almost half the combined tract and providing some limited access to the rest. "That area is sort of a gateway to the park for visitors coming from cities like Montreal, Plattsburgh and Burlington," said Connie Prickett, spokeswoman for the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, which negotiated the complex deal four years ago. Public access to the northeastern corner of the 6-million acre Adirondack Park, about 140 miles north of Albany, had been limited. The project conserved habitat for wide-ranging animals like moose, black bear and fisher, as well as 220 miles of permanent and seasonal streams, some with native brook trout, and 20 lakes and ponds with 16 miles of undeveloped shoreline, according to the nonprofit conservancy. It also permitted Lyme, of Hanover, N.H., to keep logging its share according to certified conservation standards. Of the 104,000 total acres, almost half are now open to the public for recreation like hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing and, at designated sites camping. The rest remain leased to hunting clubs, generally off-limits to others except for designated logging roads and trails. The state paid $10.8 million for the easements on 84,000 acres, and almost $10 million to own the 20,000 acres, most of that added to New York's Forest Preserve. They include 3,830-foot Lyon Mountain and a mile of shoreline on nearby Chazy Lake. From the mountain's old fire tower, you can see Lake Champlain and Vermont's Green Mountains to the east, the Adirondack High Peaks to the south, and on a good day the city of Montreal to the north. This summer, an Adirondack Mountain Club crew cut a new 3.5-mile trail to the summit with more switchbacks, taking hikers off the old direct trail that was eroded to bedrock in spots. "The trail is primarily used by hikers in the summer, with some mountain biking as well," said Wes Lampman, the club's director of field programs. He said in winter it's used frequently by backcountry skiers. The easement provides access to land that was off-limits to the public for decades, including Sugarloaf Mountain, the Norton and Plumadore ranges, and Barnes, Grass, Figure Eight, and Fish Hole ponds, according to the conservancy. "There's something for everybody," said Mary Ellen Keith, longtime Franklin town supervisor. "Not all of us are granola bars." Now 79, Keith said she can't climb mountains anymore, and her kids ride snowmobiles and four wheelers. After "nitty gritty meetings" between local and state officials, plans were adapted to allow for some snowmobiling and all-terrain vehicles and leaving hunting clubs. The land, owned from 1962 to 2005 by Canadian lumber company Domtar Industries, also lies in the towns of Bellmont, Saranac, Ellenburg, Dannemora and Black Brook. Keith said she grew up in the area in a family of nine kids, who'd go for rides into the woods and pick berries. "And it was a beautiful place. There were roads that were well maintained by the logging companies." "You've got your wildlife, the swamps, the water, the mountains, the beautiful views," she said. Visitors will be about to drive through, stop, have a picnic and pick some berries, she said, and there will also be places to pitch a tent and trails for cross-country skiing. A designated trail will be for riding four-wheel vehicles, Keith said. "You have to stay on that trail. If you abuse it you lose it," she said. The plan is for everything to be labeled, Keith said. With individual donors contributing $4 million, the conservancy in 2004 paid Domtar $6.26 million for 19,960 acres, while its staff helped arrange the sale of the 84,448 acres to Lyme for $17.47 million. The conservancy estimated its cost, including interest, surveying and appraisals, at $9.7 million. Last week, the state also bought a 200-acre tract for $98,000 from the Adirondack Land Trust on Poke-o-Moonshine Mountain in the northeastern Adirondacks. The popular climbing cliff, visible from the Adirondack Northway, has a hiking trail to the top. Prickett said the adjacent land makes it possible to climb a more gradual trail. Additional Facts On the Net * Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy: www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/preser ves * Lyme Timber Co.: www.lymetimber.com * Department of Environmental Conservation: www.dec.ny.gov The Associated Press State & Local Wire September 18, 2008 Thursday 8:42 PM GMT Conservancy buys famous Adirondack lake BYLINE: By MARY ESCH, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 646 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. An Adirondack lake immortalized as the site of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Philosophers' Camp" 150 years ago has been purchased for $16 million by a preservation group for eventual inclusion in New York state's Forest Preserve. The Nature Conservancy announced its purchase of Follensby Pond near Tupper Lake in the central Adirondacks on Thursday. The 14,600-acre forest tract borders the High Peaks Wilderness Area and includes more than 10 miles of meandering frontage on the Raquette River. The property has been owned by John and Bertha McCormick of Manchester, Vt., for more than 50 years. They sold it to The Nature Conservancy to ensure that it remains intact and largely wild. The tract won't be open to the public for a while, said Connie Prickett of The Nature Conservancy. Several hunting clubs have small cabins on the land, and their leases will be continued for several years, Prickett said. "We know that many people are eager to visit Follensby Pond, but ask that the public be patient as we work through the transactional and transitional details," said Michael Carr, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's Adirondack Chapter. White Birches, the sprawling McCormick family lodge at Follensby Pond, was dismantled after its contents were auctioned off several years ago, Prickett said. In 1858, Emerson, James Russell Lowell, Louis Agassiz and other Boston scholars set up tents on the shore of Follensby Pond in a gathering that came to be known as the Philosophers' Camp. Historians note the event as a landmark in the 19-century intellectual movement linking nature with art and literature, as well as a stimulus for early tourism in the Adirondacks. "The significance of Follensby Pond is well-documented and today's announcement is one for the history books," said Pete Grannis, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Follensby Pond tract has long been coveted by preservationists and recreation groups as the last remaining gem to be acquired and added to the state's Forest Preserve, protected as "forever wild" by the state constitution. That vision is shared by John McCormick. "My wife was a true conservationist, and together, we've long envisioned Follensby one day becoming a part of the publicly owned Forest Preserve," he said. "I have every confidence that The Nature Conservancy and New York State will work together over the next few years to make that happen." Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, called the Follensby tract "a canoeist's dream." "The nearly 8-mile-long, undeveloped lake connects by a wonderful, meandering channel to the Raquette River canoe route the longest and most popular wilderness canoe route in the Adirondacks, stretching from Blue Mountain Lake to Tupper Lake," Woodworth said. "The lake has deep bays and is lobed like a big oak leaf, and it's surrounded by magnificent white pines. There's really nothing like Follensby Park in the entire New York-New England area." In February, the state agreed to buy 57,699 acres of timberland as well as conservation easements on another 73,627 acres in the central Adirondacks from The Nature Conservancy. That land was owned for decades by the Finch, Pruyn & Co. lumber company. Prickett said the state is still appraising that land and a price has not yet been determined. "After Finch Pruyn, Follensby Park was the next really big remaining Adirondack gem," Woodworth said. John Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council, a wilderness preservation group, called Follensby Pond "an astoundingly beautiful place." "In terms of tourism, it will help establish Tupper Lake as one of the most important wilderness gateway communities in the Northeastern United States," Sheehan said. "Tens of thousands of hikers and paddlers are likely to visit the lake." The Associated Press State & Local Wire August 21, 2008 Thursday 7:55 PM GMT Conservation group selling Adirondack timberlands BYLINE: By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 374 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. A conservation group announced Thursday that 90,500 acres of timberlands it bought last year in the central and southern Adirondacks are up for sale with prohibitions against residential and commercial development. The Nature Conservancy plans to sell five lots to timber management companies subject to conservation easements with the state. Those prohibit development but permit logging with protections for habitats and river corridors, provide for some public recreation and allow ongoing leases by the landowners with hunting clubs. The forests, mainly in the towns of Newcomb, Indian Lake, North Hudson, Minerva and Long Lake, touch six counties and dozens of towns. One parcel stretches more than 10 miles in northern Essex County. The five sale blocks range from 1,691 to 58,502 acres. "Protected by a conservation easement, the working forest lands being offered for sale will continue to contribute to the park's wild feel, intact nature, and economic underpinnings, just as they have for more than a century," said Michael Carr, executive director of the Conservancy's Adirondack Chapter. The nonprofit group last year purchased 161,000 acres long held by Finch, Pruyn & Co. for $110 million. The state has agreed to buy at least 57,699 acres to add to New York's 2.6-million acre Adirondack Forest Preserve, where logging is prohibited. That portion would include the Boreas Ponds, Essex Chain of Lakes, Hudson Gorge and Opalescent River headwaters. It would open to the public gradually during a 10-year transition as hunting club or other leases are phased out. The timberlands for sale are currently managed under two "green" certifications from Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. The conservancy said those tree-cutting practices will continue under the conservation easement. Meanwhile, a supply agreement is in place that requires pulp wood from the property for the Finch Paper mill in Glens Falls. According to the conservancy, scientists spent the past 14 months evaluating 250 square miles of terrain. The sale will be used to pay off some of the $110 million borrowed to buy the land, while the group tries to raise $35 million privately "to underwrite the conservation gains in the transaction." The Associated Press State & Local Wire February 14, 2008 Thursday 9:19 PM GMT NY to purchase, protect more Adirondack timberlands BYLINE: By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 545 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. The state has agreed to buy 57,699 acres of timberland as well as conservation easements on another 73,627 acres in the central Adirondacks from the nonprofit group that bought the land last year from a lumber company. The Nature Conservancy, in an effort to protect wildlife and habitat, had purchased 161,000 acres that were owned for decades by Finch, Pruyn & Co. The $110 million purchase last summer was done with borrowed money, including $25 million from the Open Space Institute. The agreement announced Thursday covers forests in the towns of Newcomb, Indian Lake, North Hudson, Minerva and Long Lake, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said. The portion being added to the state forest preserve would include the Boreas Ponds, Essex Chain of Lakes, Hudson Gorge and Opalescent River headwaters. It would open to the public gradually during a 10-year transition as hunting club or other leases are phased out. The larger portion covered by easements would continue club leases while opening some new land for public hiking, hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation, the DEC said. The conservancy plans eventually to sell it to private timber management investors. The price for the purchases will be set after appraisals. "The scale of this massive project allows for a variety of compatible uses," said Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure the conservation of a critical area of Adirondack backcountry while supporting the people who live there," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. The agreement contemplates a network of snowmobile trails linking North Hudson, Newcomb, Long Lake, Minerva, and Indian Lake, meant to boost the local economy. The conservancy is paying property taxes, and the state will pay them on land it buys as well as its share of the value of easement lands, the DEC said. Up to 1,098 acres will be dedicated to community uses like public recreation facilities and community housing, the agency said, noting the agreement followed extensive meetings with local officials. The DEC also plans to work to designate some of the lakes and ponds for float plane use. Officials said they are developing an agreement for the remaining 27,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn timberland in the southern Adirondacks. The conservancy sent out initial annual leases last summer to 104 leaseholders, mostly hunting and fishing clubs, that occupied 135,000 acres. Some forests are still logged under a 20-year agreement to ensure a wood fiber supply to the Finch Paper Holdings paper mill in Glens Falls. The DEC said Thursday at least two-thirds of the clubs will likely see no change or can be accommodated elsewhere. A 2001 conservancy study found 95 significant animal and plant species, 37 of which are considered rare in New York. Among the rarest was the Steller's cliffbrake, a small limestone fern. The parcels contain high-altitude bird habitats, as well as limestone outcroppings that are rare in the Adirondacks. The public has been able to use the land where old public easements existed, such as along the Northville-Placid Trail between Blue Mountain and Long Lake. On the Net: DEC map:  HYPERLINK "ftp://ftp.dec.state.ny.us/dpae/press/finchpruyn" \t "_blank" ftp://ftp.dec.state.ny.us/dpae/press/finchpruyn  HYPERLINK "http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_079064654.html" http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_079064654.html 15,500-acre Adirondack tract sold to private owners March 19, 2008 06:54 am ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A nonprofit conservation group announced the sale Tuesday of a 15,500-acre tract to private owners in the western Adirondacks for $1.2 million. The land on the outskirts of the towns of Webb and Long Lake remains protected by a conservation easement, the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy said. It was one of three tracts bought by the conservancy in 2001 from the International Paper Co. The property includes five lakes and ponds, seven small mountains and wetlands. It is not open to the public. As part of the transaction, the buyers gave the conservancy a conservation easement that protects an adjoining 2,400 acres of private land. The sale closed late last year, conservancy spokeswoman Connie Prickett said. The tract, which was called the Thayer Lake Reserve, has been renamed the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station. Ross Whaley, former Adirondack Park Agency chairman affiliated with the new preserve, said the intent is to use it to study ecological systems in partnership with other educational and research organizations. The easement prohibits logging or development, he said. John Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council, said the buyers are from adjacent Brandreth Park, family members whose private land stewardship so far has good marks from the environmental group. "It's not a recreational boost to the state, but ecologically it ensures he property will remain intact. Ecologically speaking it's probably better," he said. The Associated Press State & Local Wire December 19, 2007 Wednesday 9:56 PM GMT State urged to buy timberlands in northwest Adirondacks BYLINE: By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 676 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. With more than 70,000 acres of timberlands in the northwestern Adirondacks for sale, an environmental group is urging the state to buy most of it. Parcels owned by Lassiter Properties Inc. and  HYPERLINK "http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T4901058303&returnToId=20_T4901062210&csi=304481&A=0.23970481512366093&sourceCSI=3652&indexTerm=%23CC0004ANC%23&searchTerm=Clerical%20Medical%20Investment%20Group%20&indexType=C" \t "_parent" Clerical Medical Investment Group in eastern St. Lawrence County contain boreal forests, wetlands, streams and rivers that are part of the northwest flow into the St. Lawrence River, according to the Adirondack Council. In a letter last week to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis, the council urged the state to acquire sensitive parcels and all remaining development rights on other pieces to protect wilderness and wildlife. "The northwest quadrant of the Park, where most of the Lassiter and Clerical Medical lands lie, has less Forest Preserve than have other parts of the (Adirondack) Park yet has outstanding ecological significance," council Executive Director Brian Houseal wrote. The companies have held the parcels as managed timberland investments. The state has conservation easements on some of the Lassiter lands. The DEC always has an interest in preserving working forests, and those are among the priorities in plans for open space, DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren said. The agency hasn't committed to buying them, but could in the future, she said. Roughly half of the 6-million acre park is privately owned. Development is prohibited on land in the state-owned Forest Preserve. Large parcels include Lassiter's 18,351 acres in the towns of Colton and Hopkinton, including frontage on the West Branch St. Regis River; 21,020 acres in the towns of Diana and Croghan, including part of the Middle Branch of the Oswegatchie River; and 3,906 acres on the west side of County Route 56. Five Clerical Medical blocks of land, more than 30,000 acres altogether, include the Chaumont Wetlands and Oswegatchie River frontage west of Cranberry Lake; frontage on the South Branch Grass River, north of Cranberry Lake; boreal forest adjacent to Long Pond easement lands; and land along the East Branch of the St. Regis River and outside the village of Fine. "When it rains it pours," said Joe Martens, president of the Open Space Institute. "There are lots and lots of properties (for sale) in the Adirondacks all at once." Bids for the Lassiter land are due Jan. 11, Martens said. Meanwhile the DEC is heading toward closing, likely in early 2008, on most of the Tahawus Tract and a nearby conservation easement now held by the institute in Newcomb, Wren said. Martens said that under a pending contract, the state will acquire 6,979 acres with virtually the entire Lake Henderson shoreline for $5.05 million. Another 2,900-plus acres that the institute sold to the former Finch, Pruyn lumber company, now owned by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, is covered by a conservation easement that's supposed to follow. The OSI, which bought the land in 2003 from National Lead, plans to keep about one acre around its cabin at Preston Ponds, about 210 acres in the historic area with the former community of Adirondac now being restored, and 46 acres around the Maston House, which the OSI plans to lease to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for $1 a year for its ecological program, and about one-third acre each around the Mt. Adams fire tower and the nearby observation cabin. Meanwhile, the Adirondack Nature Conservancy expects to close the sale early next year of 20,000 acres in the northeast Adirondacks to the state, as well as a conservation easement covering another 84,000 acres of timberland, conservancy spokeswoman Connie Prickett said. The land was bought from Canadian lumber company Domtar Industries two years ago. The not-for-profit conservancy is still sorting out options for the 161,000 acres of Adirondack timberlands it bought from Finch, Pruyn this year and has renewed for one year leases with hunting clubs and other existing tenants. Under a fiber-supply agreement a large portion of the property will continue to be managed for lumbering under "sustainable forestry certifications," Prickett said. The Associated Press State & Local Wire September 17, 2007 Monday 8:49 PM GMT Snowmobilers, helped by change in NY law, wait for snow BYLINE: By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 792 words DATELINE: ALBANY N.Y. With 11,000 miles of trails and club rosters boosted to 60,000 by changes in state law, snowmobilers are positioned well for winter in New York. But the joker in the deck is snow, which failed to fall last season until after the holidays. "It really didn't get started until the end of January, then it lasted into April in some places," said Jim Jennings, executive director of the New York State Snowmobile Association. "We would like it to start around Christmastime. That would be the optimum starting point." In its online magazine this summer, the association pointed to climate change. "As with almost everything else in the world, global warming is affecting our sport. Snows come late and leave earlier." The late snow was cited as one reason for the drop in statewide snowmobile registrations from 149,610 in 2005-2006 to 130,502 last season. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation also reports that only 25,683 sleds were registered by owners who aren't members of clubs and must pay twice as much to register since a change in state law last year meant to boost trail maintenance. Annual registration still costs $45 for club members, but jumped to $100 for nonmembers. All but $10 of each goes to the state fund for maintaining trails, which is mainly distributed via counties to some 235 snowmobile clubs. The clubs maintain most of the 11,000 trail miles, up about 1,000 miles from two years ago when club membership was about 23,000. The law was backed by the NYSSA. A 2003 study estimated the sport's annual economic impact at $875 million in the state. Club membership fees average $25 to $30 and can be applied to registering all the snowmobiles in a household, Jennings said. About 85 percent of the trails are on private land, though some clubs also have permits to groom trails on state land, he said. The NYSSA also formed a political action committee in 2005. Its funding comes in part from club memberships. Online club registration forms list $5 going to NYSSA membership, with 25 cents of that going to the NYS Snowmobile PAC unless registrants specifically opt out. The web of arrangements does not sit well with some hikers, skiers and environmentalists, who want motorized sleds, their noise and exhaust kept away from quiet wilderness. "It was bad enough that the state had considered snowmobiling to be the only wintertime activity in the Adirondacks in terms of economic development for the past 10 years," said John Sheehan of the Adirondack Council. "But to have the state Legislature actually encourage people to join a private organization is unprecedented and really bad public policy." "For this group to then create a PAC to reward people that passed the bill, that should be troubling to every New York resident," Sheehan said. Jennings said the statute was modeled after New Hampshire's law, and the increased club membership is good for the sport. "There's a lot of hard work behind the scenes," he said, clearing brush, making signs and repairing structures in the offseason, trail grooming and machine maintenance in winter. "Now that more people are club members they realize what goes into making the trail system." The machines are getting cleaner and quieter, Jennings said, though they are heavy, an incentive to stay on trails. "You get these things stuck nowadays you need a tow truck to get them out," he said. Last year's snowmobile statute also set the new maximum state 55 mph speed limit, with an exception for races and rallies. Another law that takes effect this fall clarifies that it is a crime to operate a snowmobile on private land while drunk, though it's a violation instead of the higher-level misdemeanor for a first offense on public land. In 2003, NYSSA and clubs worked with the state Insurance Department, parks and then Gov. George Pataki's office to establish blanket statewide insurance coverage for all the clubs, trails and landowners. Jennings said state general obligation law already protects landowners from liability for general recreation use, he said. Last fall, state conservation and parks officials issued a snowmobile plan for the Adirondacks that would connect communities across the 6-million-acre park with long-distance routes to boost the winter tourism economy. The document is being reviewed by the Spitzer administration and the Adirondack Park Agency. Meanwhile snowmobile officials are in contact with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, which recently bought the former Finch, Pruyn forests, in an effort to keep snowmobile trails and expand some on the 161,000 acres. On the Net: New York State Snowmobile Association:  HYPERLINK "http://www.nyssnowassoc.org" \t "_blank" http://www.nyssnowassoc.org/ State Parks Office:  HYPERLINK "http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us" \t "_blank" http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us Adirondack Council:  HYPERLINK "http://www.adirondackcouncil.org" \t "_blank" http://www.adirondackcouncil.org From  HYPERLINK "http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_214234515.html" http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_214234515.html Nature Conservancy needs to raise millions to pay for Adirondack land purchase By MICHAEL VIRTANEN Associated Press Writer August 03, 2007 09:33 am NEWCOMB The twin-engine plane, which followed the Hudson River north into the mountains, banked right, and Mt. Allen appeared close outside the port windows, its huge tree-covered crest looming above the Cessna 414. "There really is no other way to take it all in," Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, said from the co-pilot's seat. In June, the nonprofit group bought 161,000 acres of timberland once held by the former Finch, Pruyn paper company for $110 million "" 234 parcels ranging from the Adirondack foothills to the edge the High Peaks. "The public recreation value will be obvious, but our core business is protection of biological diversity," Carr said. Having bought it all with borrowed money, the conservancy has to catalog that diversity, decide which parcels to sell under what conditions, and conduct "the largest fundraising effort in Adirondack history," he said. "It will be tens of millions of dollars," Carr said. That's what it takes to enable the conservancy to protect wilderness and sensitive habitats, withholding certain development rights while selling pieces for forestry or other uses, instead of just reselling the land on the open market. It took about two hours to see the major parcels in the central Adirondacks, a dappled sea of light green forests, as well as dozens of ponds and lakes, huge bogs and wetlands, and 43 miles of upper Hudson River shoreline, including the west side of the whitewater gorge at the Blue Ledges, land now leased to a Christian summer camp. The area includes communities like Newcomb, North Creek and Blue Mountain Lake, some other private land, state forests and two-lane highways. The parcels fill gaps in protection of the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, conservancy spokeswoman Connie Prickett said. On the ground, it would take about three years to see it all, Carr said. Charter pilot Ben Eaby kept the plane near 3,000 feet, sometimes dipping to only 200 feet above the deck where ridges rose as the craft bumped lightly and often over thermals. The conservancy recently sent out new annual leases to 104 leaseholders, mostly hunting and fishing clubs that occupy 135,000 acres. It has begun talks with five timber industry management organizations, the 31 towns affected, leaseholders and the state of New York, which would be responsible for public recreation access. Some forests are still logged under a 20-year agreement to ensure a wood fiber supply to the Finch Paper Holdings paper mill in Glens Falls. While the future of the vast tract gets sorted out, the public can continue to use the land where easements currently exist, such as along the Northville-Placid Trail between Blue Mountain and Long Lake. The conservancy's 2001 study found 95 significant animal and plant species, 37 of which are rare in New York. Among the rarest was the Steller's cliffbrake, a small limestone fern. The parcels contain high-altitude bird habitats, as well as limestone outcroppings that are rare in the Adirondacks. The Nature Conservancy has protected 558,922 acres in the Adirondacks since 1971, Carr said. More than 300,000 are privately owned and managed as working forests. The Associated Press State & Local Wire August 2, 2007 Thursday 8:46 PM GMT Nature Conservancy fund raising follows Adirondack land buy BYLINE: By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 528 words DATELINE: NEWCOMB N.Y. The twin-engine plane, which followed the Hudson River north into the mountains, banked right, and Mt. Allen appeared close outside the port windows, its huge tree-covered crest looming above the Cessna 414. "There really is no other way to take it all in," Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, said from the co-pilot's seat. In June, the nonprofit group bought 161,000 acres of timberland once held by the former Finch, Pruyn paper company for $110 million 234 parcels ranging from the Adirondack foothills to the edge the High Peaks. "The public recreation value will be obvious, but our core business is protection of biological diversity," Carr said. Having bought it all with borrowed money, the conservancy has to catalog that diversity, decide which parcels to sell under what conditions, and conduct "the largest fundraising effort in Adirondack history," he said. "It will be tens of millions of dollars," Carr said. That's what it takes to enable the conservancy to protect wilderness and sensitive habitats, withholding certain development rights while selling pieces for forestry or other uses, instead of just reselling the land on the open market. It took about two hours to see the major parcels in the central Adirondacks, a dappled sea of light green forests, as well as dozens of ponds and lakes, huge bogs and wetlands, and 43 miles of upper Hudson River shoreline, including the west side of the whitewater gorge at the Blue Ledges, land now leased to a Christian summer camp. The area includes communities like Newcomb, North Creek and Blue Mountain Lake, some other private land, state forests and two-lane highways. The parcels fill gaps in protection of the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, conservancy spokeswoman Connie Prickett said. On the ground, it would take about 3 years to see it all, Carr said. Charter pilot Ben Eaby kept the plane near 3,000 feet, sometimes dipping to only 200 feet above the deck where ridges rose as the craft bumped lightly and often over thermals. The conservancy recently sent out new annual leases to 104 leaseholders, mostly hunting and fishing clubs that occupy 135,000 acres. It has begun talks with five timber industry management organizations, the 31 towns affected, leaseholders and the state of New York, which would be responsible for public recreation access. Some forests are still logged under a 20-year agreement to ensure a wood fiber supply to the Finch Paper Holdings paper mill in Glens Falls. While the future of the vast tract gets sorted out, the public can continue to use the land where easements currently exist, such as along the Northville-Placid Trail between Blue Mountain and Long Lake. The conservancy's 2001 study found 95 significant animal and plant species, 37 of which are rare in New York. Among the rarest was the Steller's cliffbrake, a small limestone fern. The parcels contain high-altitude bird habitats, as well as limestone outcroppings that are rare in the Adirondacks. The Nature Conservancy has protected 558,922 acres in the Adirondacks since 1971, Carr said. More than 300,000 are privately owned and managed as working forests. The Associated Press State & Local Wire June 18, 2007 Monday 7:27 PM GMT Nature Conservancy buys 161,000 Adirondack acres SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL LENGTH: 613 words DATELINE: KEENE VALLEY N.Y. A nonprofit conservation group purchased 161,000 acres of timberland in the central Adirondack Mountains under an agreement that will allow a lumber company to continue cutting trees for 20 years while the new owners pay local land taxes. The Nature Conservancy bought the former Finch, Pruyn & Co. Inc., lands touching 31 towns in six counties and including several thousand acres next to the High Peaks for $110 million from Atlas Paper Resources and Blue Wolf Capital Management, the investor group that recently bought Finch, Pruyn. The agreement announced Monday will allow Atlas to continue logging the forests for 20 years, providing the raw materials that have fueled Finch, Pruyn's mill in Glens Falls since 1905. The mill currently employs 850 people. The lands are among the Adirondacks' last large private landholdings, desirable for their size, location, condition, proximity to major rivers, and biological and scenic value, environmental advocates said. The forests have a variety of mountains, cliffs, lakes, ponds, bogs, alluvial forests, and flat- and whitewater rivers. The Hudson River Gorge, Blue Ledges, and OK-Slip Falls are within the 161,000 acres and stretches of the Hudson, Opalescent, Boreas, Branch, Cedar and Indian rivers flow through the property. Some 90 mountains and 70 lakes and ponds dot the land. "It's terrific news," said John Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council. "Finch was a good steward of the property but, like every other commercial owner, was unable to hold onto the property in the long term. We were very concerned about the fate of this property." The Nature Conservancy will consult with community leaders, leaseholders and others over the next 18 months to identify how best to protect the land while addressing local economic needs and recreation. Recreational leaseholders such as hunt clubs will still use the land. The public can continue to use the land where easements currently exist, such as along the Northville-Placid Trail between Blue Mountain and Long Lake. The conservancy first learned of the lands in 2001 when Finch, Pruyn asked the environmental group to conduct an ecological study as part of the paper company's "green forestry" certification. "We discovered extraordinary biological richness, inspiring TNC to step up and play the leading role in this property's future," Michael Carr, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's Adirondack Chapter, said in a statement. The 2001 study found 95 significant species, 37 of which are rare in New York. Among the rarest was the Steller's cliffbrake, a small limestone fern. The purchase was financed in part through loans from the Open Space Conservancy, the land acquisition affiliate of the Open Space Institute, and from John Hancock Life Insurance Company. The Nature Conservancy will launch a fundraising campaign to help pay for the land. With today's announcement, The Nature Conservancy has protected 556,572 acres in the Adirondacks since 1971. More than 300,000 of those acres are privately owned and managed as working forests. Atlas Holdings owns four paper mills and nine packaging plants. Finch, Pruyn makes more than 250,000 tons annually of premium uncoated printing paper for advertising materials, book publishing and business office uses from its mill in Glens Falls, 53 miles north of Albany, according to the company. Also Monday, Atlas and Blue Wolf announced they had completed their acquisition of Finch, Pruyn. The company, under the name Finch Paper Holdings, will continue to operate the Glens Falls pulp and paper manufacturing facilities and to sell its product under the Finch Paper brand name. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.  HYPERLINK "http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_157231550.html" http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_157231550.html Local tract falls to conservation group June 07, 2007 04:00 am ALBANY (AP) -- A land-conservation organization and paper company have swapped more than 2,000 acres of Adirondack forest, a move expected to open more backcountry to public recreation. The Open Space Institute on Tuesday acquired from Finch, Pruyn & Co. about 1,500 acres on the east side of Mount Santanoni, including Bradley Pond in the town of Newcomb, said institute President Joe Martens. That parcel abuts state forest and the 10,000-acre Tahawus Tract in the High Peaks region, which the nonprofit institute acquired in 2003 from NL Industries. Most of the larger tract is pending resale to the state for its Forest Preserve. The Open Space Institute's new 2,052 acres -- also including a handful of smaller parcels scattered around Newcomb, Minerva and Schroon -- are expected to follow. "It'll be a while before this stuff ends up with the state, but it will open immediately, just like we did with Tahawus," Martens said. In return, Finch, Pruyn on Tuesday got $90,000 plus 2,879 acres from Open Space Institute at the southern end of the Tahawus Tract, subject to a working forest conservation easement the state is expected to own, Martens said. Such easements permit lumbering while also allowing public recreation and prohibiting development. In April, the shareholders of Finch, Pruyn approved the sale of the Glens Falls-based paper manufacturer to an investor group led by Atlas Paper Resources and Blue Wolf Capital Management. The sale, expected to close soon, includes Finch, Pruyn's 160,000 acres of Adirondack forests. Officials have said the new company, Finch Paper Holdings LLC, will continue to make paper. 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