Hi All,
Summer is here! No spring. Temps have been in the 80’s with
humidity for about a week now and it is dry as a bone. We really need sustained
rain. The forest fire on the back side of Hunter in Lanesville continues to
smolder since burning over 100 acres last week.
I regret to advise you that the Bagel & Bakery Shop in
Hunter has closed as the owner, Frank, just gave up on it. His assistant,
Michelle, may try to re-open it in June in time for the festivals but I am not
that confident it will happen.
The Hunter Mountain Brewery seems to doing okay in spite of a
really dead off season month. It is open Wed – Sun from 5 pm with a 5 – 7 pm
happy hour. I like the food and the views of the sunset are spectacular. The
locals for the most part have been increasingly supporting it.
If you plan on eating at Messina’s in Windham make sure you
ask the price of the specials before ordering – they are way out of line with the
standard menu prices.
Hellgate is still covered with a lot of snow and there are
patches of snow also on many other slopes.
Stay cool,
Jon
Regarding hiking at the Kaaterskill Falls please note the
following DEC press release:
DEC Proposes Plan to Improve Public Safety at Kaaterskill Falls
Draft Kaaterskill Wild Forest Unit Management Plan Features a New Trail to
Provide Safe Access to View Kaaterskill Falls
Public Invited to Comment on the Draft UMP Through June 5
A proposed
amendment to the Kaaterskill Wild Forest Unit Management Plan (UMP) is designed
to make the Kaaterskill Falls area a safer destination to visit, state
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Keith Goertz
announced today. DEC invites the public to submit comments on the draft
amendment through Friday, June 5, 2015.
"DEC is committed to protecting and
maintaining this unique natural and historic treasure in a manner that enhances
public safety and is consistent with forest preserve management principles,"
Director Goertz said. "We worked with state and local officials and user groups
to develop the proposed amendment to gather input on ways to improve public
safety and enhance user experiences. We look forward to hearing from a wide
range of constituencies on the proposed amendment, which would enhance viewing
access to Kaaterskill Falls and make the site a safer and more enjoyable
destination for individuals and families to visit."
The draft UMP amendment
proposes the construction of a new foot trail leading from the end of the marked
Kaaterskill Falls trail at the base of the falls upslope to intersect with the
Escarpment Trail on the east side of the falls. This 0.2-mile trail would
include construction of a stone staircase at the end of the current marked trail
that would lead to a potential viewing area and then proceed upward to the new
connector trail to the Escarpment Trail.
The staircase would be approximately
260 feet long, with about 200 stone steps. As part of this proposal, an
approximately 300-foot spur trail would lead from the staircase to a point above
the middle pool of the falls. At the end of this trail another shorter set of
stone stairs would be installed to provide access to the middle pool area. The
stone staircase would be designed to blend in with the natural stone of the area
at a location to limit its visibility from below.
The proposed trail and
stone staircase will address the public's interest for access to a better view
of Kaaterskill Falls and the middle pool area, while protecting public safety.
Despite DEC's efforts in recent years to prevent people from continuing past the
end of the marked Kaaterskill Falls trail, which included increased signage
warning of the danger, some people put themselves in danger by continuing past
the fence at the end of the trail.
The draft amendment also calls for the
expansion of two nearby DEC-managed parking areas: the Laurel House Road parking
area and the Schutt Road parking area. Both lots would be expanded to
accommodate approximately 50 cars each. Currently, the lots can accommodate
about 9-12 cars each.
In addition, the draft amendment calls for the
installation of up to 10 permanent anchor points in the middle pool area to
assist first responders with rescue operations. The anchors would allow safety
ropes to be quickly and safely secured during rescue operations. The anchor
points will protect rescuers, as well as those being rescued, from potential
falls and injury.
In the fall of 2014, DEC installed about 500 feet of split
rail fencing at both the upper and lower falls. The fencing serves as both a
physical and visual barrier to alert the public to the potential dangers of
proceeding further. Additional signage was also installed in more conspicuous
locations to warn the public of the potential dangers in the area. Under the
draft plan amendment, these features would remain in place.
Beginning this
summer, DEC will construct a bridge over Spruce Creek, an observation deck and
associated spur trail at the top of the falls and hire a seasonal steward to
educate and interact with visitors at the falls. The steward will gather
information about public use of the area, including peak user times, behaviors
and preferences to inform management decisions.
The management actions
proposed in the draft amendment are intended to complement the actions outlined
in the 1987 UMP and the 2013 UMP amendment. When considered in their entirety,
the proposals are designed to provide a safer, more environmentally sustainable
user experience at Kaaterskill Falls.
DEC prepares unit management plans to
assess the natural resources of specific parcels of DEC-managed lands and
identify opportunities for public use that are consistent with the
classifications of the lands and the ability of the resources and ecosystems to
accommodate such uses.
The draft
UMP amendment is available on DEC's website. Comments can be
mailed to Josh Borst, NYSDEC, 65561 State Highway 10, Suite 1 Stamford, NY
12167, or submitted via email to:
R4.UMP@dec.ny.gov. The deadline for
comments is June 5.
For more information about the
UMP process, visit DEC's website.
