Ernst thanked for service; new board members confirmed by senate
By Zachary Matson
The Adirondack Park Agency stepped back from the most controversial proposed change to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, leaving for another day what, if any, kinds of devices people with disabilities can use in state wilderness areas.
Agency staff originally proposed including a definition for “other power-driven mobility devices” and excluding those devices from the definition of motorized equipment prohibited in wilderness areas. That proposal drew striden opposition from environmentalists concerned that it would open the door to motorized use in areas where it is currently restricted.
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The state land master plan, which is supposed to be updated every five years, guides the agency’s management of around 2.7 million acres of state land.
The leaders of environmental groups, who had raised concerns about the earlier accessibility language, thanked agency officials for removing the proposed changes and called for continued resistance to allowing any motorized access.
APA staff did retain language updates that would require consideration of accessibility in the development of unit management plans and the proposal of actions to improve access to state land for people with disabilities.
The updated language also includes the first mention of climate change in the master plan, emphasizing the importance of state land in mitigating the impacts of climate change and requiring the consideration of climate change during the development of management plans. It makes bicycle trails an allowable use in wild forest areas and would classify the state’s recently acquired Four Peaks Tract in Jay as wild forest.
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Board members also questioned staff on allowing more backcountry ski trails and enabling the use of bear boxes where conflicts with humans are common. But staff didn’t plan on making more changes to the proposed amendments before asking the board to vote on its adoption.
“This is the package we will ask you to act on,” said Megan Phillips, APA deputy director for planning. “We are happy to entertain as much discussion about the changes as the board will like.”
‘Calm, thoughtful leadership’
A slew of Adirondack advocates and APA staff thanked Chair John Ernst for his service to the park agency and his legacy as steward of Elk Lake and the recreational easement that enables public access to the southern High Peaks. The meeting was Ernst’s last.
“If decency and integrity and a good heart and passion for this park count for anything, this board is to suffer a big loss,” Pete Nelson, chair of Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, said of Ernst.
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APA Executive Director Barbara Rice thanked Ernst for his “calm, thoughtful leadership” and highlighted his work stewarding the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic,
“John has led through quiet strength and integrity,” Rice said. “We are a stronger place today and this is very much because of John.”
Rice also acknowledged the Senate confirmation earlier this week of two new board members, Rush Holt Jr. and Jose Almanzar.
Holt, a former New Jersey congressman and scientist, lives on Silver Lake in Clinton County and will fill the in-park seat vacated by the 2023 departure of Andrea Hogan. Holt has served on the board of the Adirondack Council since 2022, a position he said he plans to give up before starting his tenure on the APA board.
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Almanzar, an environmental and regulatory lawyer in New York City, will fill the out-of-park seat formerly held by Ernst. Current board members serving on expired terms were also approved for new terms.
The new members were both confirmed by the senate without a hearing. Gov. Kathy Hochul can name a new board chair from the roster of appointed board members. As of Friday, it remained unclear who would fill Ernst’s seat as chair.
Senator Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, was critical of Holt’s appointment, issuing a statement on Sunday arguing Holt should be disqualified to serve on the APA board and suggesting he didn’t meet residency requirements to hold the position.
“Changing your voting registration from New Jersey to Clinton County in 2020, owning a summer camp in the region and lobbying for a radical agenda there doesn’t make you a full-time resident with a true personal investment in the needs of the Adirondacks,” Stec said in the statement.
Holt in a brief interview at the board meeting called Stec’s statement “over the top” and said he and his wife made Silver Lake their permanent and voting residence in 2020. Holt said he has owned property in the Adirondacks since 1980 and has long wanted to move to the park.
“I’ve considered myself an Adirondacker for 70 years,” Holt said.
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