ALBANY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Wednesday that it had acquired about 1,624 acres of conservation easement on two separate areas of land from the Open Space Institute, both of which are in the Adirondack Park.

Both areas are now open, in part, for public recreation, according to the DEC. Each area’s interim recreation management plan establishes what public activities are permitted and what specific portions of the easements are open for public access.

“These lands in the Adirondacks will help protect forests from development, encourage ongoing, responsible forest management and provide year-round recreational access,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a statement announcing the purchase. “These protections connect people with their outdoor community and encourage more of the public to follow the lead of Governor Hochul’s initiative to get offline and get outside in the unparalleled beauty in the Adirondack Park.”

Funding for both Conservation Easements was provided through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The EPF is the principal source of funding protection of open space and public land acquisition in New York state. The fund supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects water sources, advances conservation efforts and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers. The EPF also supports New York’s 30×30 initiative, which commits to conserving 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030.

On Nov. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James announced an agreement to modernize the process to secure and protect critical open spaces statewide. The DEC said this memorandum of agreement streamlines and clarifies the legal and administrative review procedures for fee and conservation easement acquisitions to facilitate and expedite open space projects that preserve water quality, protect wildlife habitat and diverse ecosystems, promote working lands and support rural economies, increase climate mitigation and resiliency and expand recreation and public access opportunities across the state. More information is available at tinyurl.com/27w478dk.

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Lands in Clinton County

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The larger of the two purchases is in the towns of Dannemora and Saranac, both in Clinton County. There, approximately 1,414 acres were acquired through a conservation easement previously held by OSI on lands owned by Chazy Resource Management, Inc. The DEC paid $367,540 for the easement purchase, or roughly $259.93 per acre.

Under the conservation easement, Chazy Resource Management, Inc. continues to own the land, but the easement purchased by the state from OSI legally precludes any future development on the property, which totals of 1,414 acres. It also provides public access along the former Delaware & Hudson Railway for approximately 16 miles, comprising approximately 200 acres, according to the DEC. The OSI had originally purchased the conservation easement from Chazy Resource Management, Inc. in 2020.

“Chazy Resources is committed to working with New York state for the continued recreation on the 16-mile corridor between Dannemora and Lyon Mountain,” said Deborah Boyce, a representative of Chazy Resource Management, Inc. and Boeselager Forestry, in a statement announcing the purchase. “We encourage users to join one of the clubs that maintain the corridor.”

The DEC said it’s working with local groups to establish volunteer stewardship agreements (VSAs) for this conservation easement, which it said will ensure the 16-mile trail corridor is maintained for allowable use.

“(Volunteer service agreements) are an essential part of site management for DEC lands, with volunteers passionate about maintaining trails and improving public access for all,” the DEC said in a statement.

More information on volunteer service agreements is available at tinyurl.com/bde8y5bb.

The conservation easement is largely hardwood forest and home to many Adirondack plants and animals typically found in this habitat, including white-tailed deer, porcupine, coyote and more. Permitted recreational activities along the 16-mile former rail corridor include biking, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ATV use, according to the DEC, which noted that fishing, hunting and trapping by the public is not permitted on any part of this easement.

Passenger vehicles and trucks are not permitted on the railroad bed unless there is a deeded easement to drive on the railroad bed. There is no public access on the forest parcel north of state Route 374 except for snowmobile use once that trail is constructed.

The full interim recreation management plan for this conservation easement, which stipulates allowable and unallowable land uses, is available at tinyurl.com/3b2pnzm3.

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Lands in Essex County

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A smaller, 210-acre conservation easement in the town of Newcomb, in Essex County, was also purchased by the state on lands owned by the OSI. The Tahawus Core Historic Area Conservation Easement protects land along Upper Works Road. It’s a popular area for hiking, with trailheads to several High Peaks and other mountains near there. The DEC paid $223,200 for this easement, or about $1,062.86 per acre.

The property is the location of the historic village of Adirondac, which contains the MacNaughton Cottage, which was originally built around 1834 and recently benefited from a full-scale exterior renovation. More on that is available at tinyurl.com/59tthvtx. The property also includes a stone blast furnace that was constructed more than 150 years ago.

OSI President and CEO Erik Kulleseid said in a statement announcing the purchase that OSI has worked for decades to protect and preserve Adirondack land, ecology and legacy. He was proud to partner with the DEC for the easement here.

“At Upper Works, we’ve invested more than $2.1 million over 20 years to add trails and make the land more welcoming for users of all abilities, promote sustainable recreation and provide thoughtful stewardship,” Kulleseid said. “We are proud to work with our partners at DEC and the town of Newcomb to ensure this special place continues to be enjoyed by generations to come.”

The DEC notes that the property is a uniquely positioned access point for the High Peaks Wilderness Area, providing trailhead parking for the Mount Adams Fire Tower, Allen Mountain, East River, Calamity Brook and Indian Pass Trails.

“Protecting these 210 acres improves public access to one of the busiest trailheads to the southern High Peaks and the most popular wilderness area in the Adirondack Forest Preserve,” the DEC wrote in a statement announcing the purchase. “Recreational activities permitted include year-round non-motorized activities, including hunting, fishing, trapping, skiing and nature study.”

The DEC added that motorized access is restricted to Upper Works Road, while other power-driven mobility devices are permitted in the area on a case-by-case basis. More information about the mobility devices program is available from the DEC at tinyurl.com/56h8ffd5.

The full interim recreation management plan for this conservation easement, which stipulates allowable and unallowable land uses, is available at tinyurl.com/yek393pp.

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What exactly is a conservation easement?

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A conservation easement isn’t the same as fee simple, or total land ownership. Instead, they are legal, voluntary agreements made between private landowners and the state. While the private entity retains ownership, the easement becomes its own property deed and is held by the State of New York in perpetuity, even if the land is sold to another private entity. The easement’s terms and conditions regarding how the land can, or cannot, be used remain in effect under new private ownership, should it change.

The state and landowner agree on the terms of the easement, unique to each agreement, which can include permanent protection of lands from development, protection of historic sites and unique wildlife habitat and new or expanded public recreational access.

These two purchases add to the approximately 900,000 acres of land throughout the state that are under a conservation easement and are managed by the DEC. For more information about conservation easements, visit tinyurl.com/56vabjwz.