New guide will outline Adirondack attractions

New York has expanses of land open to public use in St. Lawrence County's section of the Adirondack Park, but there is no single source of information about where the sites are or what activities are allowed on them.

County Planning Office officials hope to change that. The office is putting together "The Users Guide to the Adirondacks in St. Lawrence County" and will hold a series of public meetings to gauge what information the guide should contain. The guide will be paid for by a state Department of Environmental Conservation grant.

"There is significant acreage in easements that the state has acquired over a period of years," said Jon R. Montan, county planner. "Each of these easements is different, and it hasn't been terribly easy for an average member of the public to find out what you can and can't do on these lands. Some of them have good signage and kiosks and things like that, so once you're there it's not that difficult to find out what you can do. But if you were planning a trip to the area, it would be nice if all this information was in one place."

Mr. Montan said the guide will contain land-use information, whether the sites are handicapped-accessible, allow for motorized or nonmotorized activities and have access to bodies of water, what to do in an emergency, rules to guard against the spread of invasive species, and information about nearby attractions, lodging, restaurants, stores and other businesses.

"So one of the components to this is to go out to each affected community and try to determine as best we can what theses businesses are, where they are, and compile it all together," he said.

Public meetings about the project will be held:

■ Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Cranberry Lake Community Center, 717 Route 3, and the Star Lake Town Offices, 4078 Route 3; and 7 p.m. at the Clare Town Hall, 3441 County Route 27, the Lawrence Town Offices, 11403 Route 11, Lawrenceville, and the Colton Town Hall, 94 Main St.

■ At 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Piercefield Town Hall, 48 Waller St.

■ At 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Pitcairn Town Hall, 10 Edwards Road, Harrisville

■ At 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Hopkinton Town Hall, 15 Church St.

■ At 9 a.m. Sept. 28 at the Parishville Town Hall, 1772 Route 72.

Planning Office staff will gather input from residents and business owners at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Star Lake Community Center; 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Parishville Town Hall, and in Piercefield at a date to be announced.

Mr. Montan said the office plans to have the guide available online in late October or early November.