RAY BROOK — On Friday the state Adirondack Park Agency board approved a public comment period for a plan to manage more than 45,000 acres in the eastern part of the park.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s unit management plan for the Hammond Pond Wild Forest covers about 50 parcels of state land from Keene to Moriah and includes features such as Baxter and Belfry mountains.

On Friday morning, the APA board approved a month-long public comment period on the plan’s compliance with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. The comment period will run from now through Tuesday, April 15. Written comments can be mailed to Richard Weber, P.O. Box 99, Ray Brook, NY 12977, or sent via email to SLMP_UMP_comments@apa.ny.gov.

During the two-day monthly meeting, the APA board also heard presentations from the Lake George Waterkeeper on efforts to reduce road salt use and impacts, and from Tupper Lake-based Birch Boys, a company that makes tea from a fungus that grows on birch trees.

The APA’s Local Government Day conference has also been scheduled, and will take place at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid on Wednesday and Thursday, April 3 and 4. The conference includes sessions on topics such as business development, planning and zoning, short-term rentals, addressing areas of high use and subdivision review. To find out more about the conference, go to www.apa.ny.gov and click “Local Government” at the top of the page. The Hammond Pond UMP can also be found on the APA website.