The plan for a 22-mile snowmobile trail between Indian Lake and Newcomb within New York’s Adirondacks has been in the planning stages for the better part of two years. Construction of the trail, which has overwhelming local support, was originally planned to commence in 2016, but a lawsuit filed by an environmental group has halted the project. Protect the Adirondacks and Adirondack Wild are the two groups who jointly filed the lawsuit, which argued the legality of expanding motorized use in the state Forest Preserve. This past week, the environmentalists were struck a blow as the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court sided with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), thereby giving the green light for construction to commence.
“This ruling ought to allow the DEC to move forward with construction this year,” said Fred Monroe, executive director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, which represents towns and villages in and around the proposed trail.
The approval however might be short lived, as Peter Bauer, the executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, hinted at a possible appeal and a continuation of the groups anti-motorist fight. Stay tuned.
(This story first appeared in the Albany Times Union)
