The renewed focus by the State of New York on the northeastern area of the Adirondack Park known as the Sable Highlands is exciting. The watersheds of two large, natural lakes, Chazy and Upper Chateaugay, have recently been conserved by major easements and state land purchases in the Sable Highlands. While this is a giant step forward, the work in my mind has just begun.
Several new open-space opportunities have arisen in the Lyon Mountain region. On Chazy Lake, Eagle Point is for sale. This 150-acre property featuring about three thousand feet of lakefront and old-growth forest, should be protected.
Lyon Mountain is facing new threats to its ecological integrity. Twenty thousand acres have recently been purchased by the DEC, and a magical new trail opened last year runs to the summit and fire tower. On the other side of the mountain a not-so-magical twenty-foot-wide road was bulldozed a few years ago. Private property along this road’s corridor leaves a substantial portion of the mountaintop unprotected.
Finally, the largely undeveloped west shore of Upper Chateaugay Lake, which is mainly owned by summer camps, needs to be considered for more permanent conservation. This shore, too, could end up broken into endless buildings.
The natural world of the Sable Highlands has given the nation iron of the highest quality for the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, timber for charcoal and construction, and endless fresh water. Today, nature is on the mend. Let us join together and help the healing process continue.
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Larry Pittis, Chazy Lake
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