|
DEC Encourages Equestrians to Ride Only on Designated
Otter Creek Horse Trails
Published: May 18, 2023 at
12:30 p.m.
By: Press Release from NYS DEC
DEC Encourages Equestrians to Ride Only on Designated
Otter Creek Horse Trails
Riders Can Help Minimize Impacts to Forest by
Following DEC Trail Markers
The New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today advised
equestrians to stay on the designated Otter Creek Horse Trails to
help prevent damage to State lands. The Otter Creek Horse Trails, located
in both the Independence
River Wild Forest Unit of the Adirondack Forest Preserve and on
the Independence River and Otter Creek State Forest on
the western border of the Adirondack Park in Lewis County, include nearly
65-miles of interlocking trails for equestrian use.
As the trails
begin to open, riders are asked to stay on designated trails marked with
DEC trail marker discs. The Otter Creek Trails pass through several
ecologically sensitive areas and designated trails are designed to minimize
impacts to the environment. Horses travelling off-trail may cause erosion,
trample vegetation, fragment habitat, and/or introduce invasive species.
After just a few passes, user-created trails become visible, increasing the
likelihood of other users riding off-trail. Undesignated trails are often
called "informal" or "social" trails.
In addition, it
is illegal to clear trails on State land that are not designated by DEC.
This includes cutting trees and vegetation. The
process DEC follows when designating a trail includes proposal in a
management plan, review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act,
and a public comment period. The clearing or maintaining of informal trails
for convenient access from adjacent private property, or
based upon one person's desire to have a trail in a given location, circumvents
this process and the environmental protections it provides.
The Otter Creek
Trails provide extensive riding opportunities in a wild forest setting and
DEC continues to work to improve the designated trail system. With riders'
cooperation, these trails will provide enjoyment for generations of riders
to come.
For questions
regarding the Otter Creek Horse Trails, please contact the DEC office in
Lowville at (315) 376-3521.
New Yorkers are
encouraged to Love
Our New York Lands all year by practicing Leave No TraceTM principles and by recreating
safely, sustainably, and hiking in suitable conditions based on weather and
experience level.
|
