Now is your chance to weigh in on the future of nine popular state forests in Steuben and Schuyler counties.
The Department of Environmental Conservation has started the process of updating its Six Nations UnitManagement Plan, which covers nearly 10 state forestlands in the region.
DEC is seeking public input on the past or future management of these nine state forests:
Comments may be general or specific and will be accepted at any time throughout the next year.
Here’s how to submit your comments, concerns, or suggestions to DEC: Send mail to NYSDEC, State Land Mgmt., 7291 Coon Rd., Bath, NY 14810 or email comments to r8.ump@dec.ny.gov
DEC officials said when the draft 10-Year Six Nations UMP is thoroughly updated, the public will be invited to review the plan and attend a public meeting to provide input.
Comments will be weighed against law, regulations, DEC Commissioner’s directives and other public comments before final changes are made to the draft plan.
How Unit Management Plans guide DEC decisions
UMPs define management goals and objectives for state lands and will guide these future decisions for ten years, officials said. It is DEC’s policy to manage state lands for multiple benefits to serve the people of New York state.
Benefits such as good water quality, a diverse and healthy wildlife population, and recreational enjoyment are ensured by thoughtful land management, including selectively varying the types and growth stages of forested stands within this unit, maintaining and creating grasslands, and enhancing wetland areas.
The plan will offer general information on the unit’s history and geology, an inventory of the unit’s resources, such as vegetative types and stages, fish, wildlife and habitat, officials said. It also describes the proposed goals and objectives along with policy considerations for managing the unit.
Past UMP accomplishments include timber management; construction and maintenance of roads, parking lots, and gates; addition of 10 horse tie stalls; Sugar Hill Fire Tower painted and wooden steps replaced; MAPPWD routes designated, paved accessible paths connecting facilities on the Sugar Hill Rec Area; archery backstops removed; the Beaver Dams SF Moody Forest Rd improved; the protection, study and improvement of habitat for common, protected special concern, rare, threatened, or endangered species; and creation and maintenance of grasslands, wetlands, and open water.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: DEC asks for input to guide state forest plans in Steuben, Schuyler
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
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