RAY BROOK — The state Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation announced a joint comment period on an amendment to the Blue Mountain Lake Wild Forest that would permanently allow a boat wash station to remain in place.

The boat wash station, which has been in place since 2017, is located in a pull off along state routes 30 and 28N near Lake Durant just outside of Blue Mountain Lake. The station consists of a 12 foot by 20 foot shed, which is used to store equipment and supplies for watershed stewards. While the roadway is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation, the pull off is located in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest.

The shed has been allowed on a temporary basis for the past two years, but the DEC is proposing an amendment to the Blue Mountain Lake Wild Forest unit management plan that would allow the shed to stay in its current location permanently.

The APA board approved the comment period at its regular monthly meeting last week, and is running a joint comment period so the public can comment on both the plan and its conformance with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. During the meeting, APA staff said they don’t expect much in the way of public comment on the relatively non-controversial move, so the comment period ends on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The Blue Mountain Lake Wild Forest is composed of nearly 38,000 acres in the towns of Indian Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake and Newcomb. The location of the boat wash station puts it within easy reach of Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, Indian Lake, Lake Durant and the DEC’s Lake Durant Campground and Day Use Area.

Comments can be sent to NYS DEC, Josh Clague, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233 or by email to adirondackpark@dec.ny.gov. Comments can also be sent NYS APA, Richard Weber, PO Box 99, Ray Brook, NY 12977 or by email at SLMP_UMP_Comments@apa.ny.gov.