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48-750: The Giant Mountain Wilderness Area (GMWA) is a protected area of the New York Forest Preserve in Adirondack Park , located in the towns of Elizabethtown and Keene in Essex County . It is roughly bounded by NY 9N on the north, NY 73 on the west and south and US 9 on the east. It contains two prominent Adirondack peaks, Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge , as well as two bodies of water covering 7 acres (2.8 hectares), 33 miles (53 km) of hiking trails, and

96-468: A committee to study the problem. In 1882, businessmen began lobbying the legislature in earnest. The Forest Preserve Act was passed three years later, prohibiting logging on state-owned land. Later that year, Ulster County 's representatives in the Assembly were trying to get the county out of a crushing property tax debt a court had ruled they owed the state. Their solution was to convey some of

144-467: A bill. However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature if there is a two-thirds vote in favor of overriding in each House. Furthermore, it has the power to propose New York Constitution amendments by a majority vote , and then another majority vote following an election. If so proposed, the amendment becomes valid if agreed to by the voters at a referendum . The legislature originated in

192-538: A member of either house, one must be a citizen of the United States , a resident of the state of New York for at least five years, and a resident of the district for at least one year prior to election. The Assembly consists of 150 members; they are each chosen from a single-member district . The New York Constitution allows the number of Senate seats to vary; as of 2014 , the Senate had 63 seats. The Assembly

240-574: A single lean-to . The land was first designated as a wilderness area in 1972. Much of the old-growth forest in GMWA was logged by timber companies during the 19th century. The land was reacquired by the state to add to the forest preserve in the 20th century. Forest fires in 1903, 1908, and 1909 destroyed one-third of the forest and altered the area's landscape. The 1903 fire stripped Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge of their topsoil, leaving bare rock that remains exposed at their peaks today. The landscape

288-425: A widespread realization that it was no long enough to simply rely on the language of Article XIV and the state's Conservation Law (as it was called at the time) and the court decisions and administrative opinions that relied on them. The Conservation Department became DEC in 1970. One of its new tasks was to implement more contemporary land management practices. But administration of the state land in both parks

336-595: Is charged between May 1 and October 1 for most of these activities, and sometimes just for entering the area. DEC manages 45 campgrounds in the Adirondacks and 7 in the Catskills, for a total of 52 (public campgrounds elsewhere in New York are under the authority of the state parks ). The state's three ski areas — Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills and Gore mountain and Whiteface Mountain in

384-460: Is headed by the speaker , while the Senate is headed by the president, a post held ex officio by the State lieutenant governor . the lieutenant governor, as president of the Senate, has only a tie-breaking " casting vote ". More often, the Senate is presided over by the temporary president, or by a senator of the majority leader's choosing. The assembly speaker and Senate majority leader control

432-556: Is limited to passive activities such as hiking , camping , hunting , birding and angling which are themselves subject to some further restrictions to ensure that they leave no trace for later recreationists. Special restrictions were recently imposed to limit impact on the largest and most popular wilderness area, the High Peaks Wilderness Complex in the Adirondacks. Powered equipment, such as chainsaws , may be necessary to keep trails open but such use

480-545: Is minor. Since the mid-1960s the state has regulated commercial highway signage within them in a manner similar to the federal Highway Beautification Act and tries to use a distinctive, rustic gold-on-brown color scheme for all its own signage within them. The original Forest Preserve legislation assigned the state the primary role in controlling forest fires within the parks, a great relief to many towns within it then as steam locomotives and illegal logging were causing numerous remote fires. DEC still has that status in what

528-576: Is permitted only with the express written authorization of the DEC commissioner . Structures other than those that facilitate recreational use, such as bridges and lean-tos , are generally not allowed, either. The only significant difference between New York's wilderness policy and the federal government's is that the former limits the classification to contiguous parcels of at least 10,000 acres (40 km ), instead of 5,000 (20 km ). Currently, approximately 1.1 million acres (4,400 km ) of

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576-552: Is permitted, however. Mountain bikers and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts have been lobbying DEC to allow them use of some Wild Forest trails in recent years. As of 2005 it appears that the former may be allowed to use some trails, particularly the old roads that lead to fire towers in both parks, DEC and most other users feel that even Wild Forest trails could not absorb the impact of ATVs. Powered equipment may be used to maintain trails and roads within Wild Forests. In

624-451: Is primarily used by hikers, who travel to the mountain summits located within, as well as other geographic features of the area, such as the Giant's Washbowl, a pond on the lower slopes of Giant Mountain, Roraing Brook Falls along Route 73, and Gusty Gap, a sharp col between Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge. The area is also used by hunters. Forest Preserve (New York) As of 2022 ,

672-496: The Adirondack High Peaks were showing the effects. Two temporary state commissions set up to consider the future course of the Adirondacks and Catskills in the early 1970s both strongly recommended that master plans be created for state lands in both parks. They also called for classifying the large tracts of state land as either wilderness areas or wild forest, depending on the degree of previous human impact and

720-546: The two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York : the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly . The Constitution of New York does not designate an official term for the two houses together; it says only that the state's legislative power "shall be vested in the senate and assembly". Session laws passed by the Legislature are published in

768-567: The Adirondack Park Blue Line was redrawn shortly afterwards following the Catskills' example. The park boundaries became known as the Blue Line since they were drawn, as they have been ever since, in blue ink on state maps. While it takes only a simple majority vote of the legislature to amend either Blue Line to add land to the park, any diminution requires that two successive legislative sessions approve, consistent with

816-541: The Adirondack Park was defined in terms of the counties and towns within it. Two years later, the Catskill Park followed suit. However, it was delineated not solely in terms of pre-existing political boundaries but instead through a combination of those and old survey lot lines, streams and railroad rights-of-way . That proved to be a more effective and politically viable method, and accordingly

864-509: The Adirondacks — also fall under this classification as well. There are five day-use areas in the Adirondacks and one (so far) in the Catskills. This classification applies to a limited number of DEC-owned lands that are managed for other than Forest Preserve purposes. It covers a number of facilities devoted to research , some prisons , and state fish hatcheries in both parks. New York Legislature Minority caucus Minority caucus The New York State Legislature consists of

912-499: The Catskills and Gore and Whiteface in the Adirondacks. The latter includes a toll road to the summit as well. Subsections were later added to allow the construction of reservoirs and make certain that use of the land remained free to the public beyond any reasonable fee the state could charge for a particular activity. In 1902, when Article XIV was more a matter of settled law, the legislature realized it had to delimit where Forest Preserve would be acquired. Accordingly, that year

960-581: The Catskills, it has long been informal DEC policy to treat all Wild Forest lands above 3,100 feet (944.9 m) in elevation as de facto wilderness. A proposed update to the master plan for the park would not only make this formal but extend the limit to 2,700 feet (823 m). Intensive Use areas are places like state campgrounds or "day use" areas (more like a small public park ) without camping. There may be designated campsites , picnic tables, charcoal grills , public restrooms and shower facilities and swimming areas with lifeguards . A fee

1008-646: The Forest Preserve covers nearly 3 million acres (12,000 km ), about 61% of all land managed by DEC. Around 2.7 million acres (11,000 km ) are in the Adirondacks while 288,000 acres (1,170 km ) are in the Catskills. Article XIV of the state constitution requires the Forest Preserve to "be forever kept as wild forest lands", thus providing the highest degree of protection of wild lands in any state. A constitutional amendment would be required to transfer any of this land to another owner or lessee . A later amendment to Article XIV also made

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1056-743: The Forest Preserve is designated as wilderness. While retaining an essentially wild character, Wild Forests are those areas which have seen higher human impact and can thus withstand a higher level of recreational use. Often these are lands which were logged heavily in the recent past (sometimes right before being transferred to the state). They might best be described as wildernesses where, within limits, powered vehicles are allowed. The wide roads left behind by logging operations make excellent trails not only for foot travel but for horses , snowmobiles , and cross-country skiing as well. Hunters prefer to seek game in wild forests because they can use cars or trucks to transport their kills out. Not all vehicle use

1104-489: The Forest Preserve. In the Adirondacks, several additional classifications exist due to the more diverse character of lands in the extensive area of the park: primitive area; canoe area; travel corridor; wild, scenic, and recreational rivers; and historic area. But there is no corresponding agency for the Catskills (largely due to the rough start experienced by the APA) and as a rule the practical impact of living within Blue Line

1152-530: The United States by enacting the Field Code . The Code inspired the enactment of similar codes in 26 other states, and gave birth to the term " code pleading " for the system of civil procedure it created. The first African-American elected to the legislature was Edward A. Johnson , a Republican, in 1917. The first women elected to the legislature were Republican Ida Sammis and Democrat Mary Lilly , both in 1919. The first African-American woman elected to

1200-470: The assignment of committees and leadership positions, along with control of the agenda in their chambers. The two are considered powerful statewide leaders and along with the governor of New York control most of the agenda of state business in New York. The Legislative Bill Drafting Commission (LBDC) aids in drafting legislation; advises as to the constitutionality, consistency or effect of proposed legislation; conducts research; and publishes and maintains

1248-650: The beginning of the 2019–2020 legislative session, the Senate Democratic Conference held 39 of the chamber's 63 seats and the Assembly Democratic Conference held 106 of the 150 seats in that chamber. The Senate Democratic Conference increased to 40 seats after Democratic senator Simcha Felder was re-accepted into the Conference. The Legislature is empowered to make law, subject to the governor's power to veto

1296-519: The bill was passed, after many deals and compromises among members, that added lands in Ulster, Sullivan and Greene counties to those eligible for Forest Preserve status. One side effect of this deal is that the state pays all local and county property taxes on the Forest Preserve as if it were a commercial landowner. This has helped many local governments remain solvent as they have very little economic assets other than forest resources. To manage

1344-485: The commission the right to sell timber from the lands and trade them as it saw fit. It seemed the Forest Preserve now existed only on paper. But the following year New York held a constitutional convention , and the language of the law was written into the new state constitution with added words to close every loophole the Forest Commission had found. This section, Article VII of the 1894 constitution (which

1392-600: The connection between deforestation and desertification . In the years that followed, New York's business community began to fear that erosion from unchecked logging in the Adirondacks could silt up the Erie Canal and eliminate the state's economic advantage. Five years later, surveyor Verplanck Colvin was said to have had the idea for a park while viewing the Adirondacks from the summit of Seward Mountain . He wrote to his superiors in Albany , who appointed him to

1440-578: The documents of the Legislature, such as the Laws of New York . The LBDC consists of two commissioners, the commissioner for administration and the commissioner for operations, each appointed jointly by the temporary president of the Senate and the speaker of the Assembly. In the 2018 elections, Democrats won control of the State Senate and increased their majority in the State Assembly. At

1488-429: The land on which they owed the taxes, mostly around Slide Mountain to the state. The Catskills had actually been considered when the Forest Preserve legislation was first passed, but Harvard botanist Charles Sprague Sargent had visited them and reported back to the legislature that it was not worth the effort as its streams did not appreciably affect the state's navigable waterways . However, an amended version of

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1536-403: The land, the state had created a Forest Commission, making New York second only to California in having a state-level forestry agency. Most of its members were either openly or covertly connected to timber interests, however, and routinely approved dodges around the legislation to make sure logging would continue. In 1893 the legislature retroactively approved many of these practices by giving

1584-469: The lands important parts of water supply networks in the state, particularly New York City's , by allowing 3% of the total lands to be flooded for the construction of reservoirs . The establishment of the Forest Preserve in the 19th century was motivated primarily by economic considerations. Over time, its importance to recreation , tourism , and conservation came to be seen. In 1865, George Perkins Marsh published Man and Nature , which made

1632-519: The law calls "fire towns," which include every town entirely or partially within the parks (and the Ulster County town of Shawangunk , which has plenty of fire exposure on the eponymous ridge ). Fires have become much less widespread than they used to be, however, thanks to a better-educated public and state oversight. The Catskill Park is also the only place within the state's "Southern Zone" where hunters do not have to wear their deer tags in

1680-566: The law. Nonetheless, they would try. The new provision barely survived an attempt to gut it two years later when they again prevailed upon the legislature to approve an amendment requiring the state to "manage the land in accordance with sound timber management principles." Voters resoundingly rejected it, however, and the principle of a "forever wild" Forest Preserve has remained inviolate in New York State to this day. Since then, over 2,000 amendments to Article XIV have been introduced in

1728-577: The legislature was Bessie A. Buchanan in 1955. Five assemblymen were expelled in 1920 for belonging to the Socialist Party . In 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court reluctantly affirmed the constitutionality of a statute enacted by the New York legislature, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in a concurring opinion : "[A]s I recall my esteemed former colleague, Thurgood Marshall , remarking on numerous occasions: 'The Constitution does not prohibit legislatures from enacting stupid laws. ' " There

1776-422: The legislature. Of those, only 28 have made it to the ballot, and only 20 have passed. Many of those have been otherwise routine land transfers that enabled the construction or expansion of public cemeteries or airports . Others have allowed for the construction and continued maintenance of reservoirs and highways. The most significant change was a pair of amendments that created the ski centers at Belleayre in

1824-432: The level of recreational use they could sustain. Both of these were ultimately adopted, along with intensive use area and administrative use area designations for smaller parcels. Land use in the Adirondack Park is subject to the rules and zoning regulations of the sometimes-controversial Adirondack Park Agency (APA). Even the state Department of Environmental Conservation must get APA approval of its management plans for

1872-740: The official Laws of New York . Permanent New York laws of a general nature are codified in the Consolidated Laws of New York . As of January 2021 , the Democratic Party holds supermajorities in both houses of the New York State Legislature, which is the highest paid state legislature in the country. Legislative elections are held in November of every even-numbered year. Both Assembly members and Senators serve two-year terms. In order to be

1920-405: The process for amending the constitution without the public vote. Both parks have grown considerably since being created. The Catskill Park reached its present size in the late 1950s; the Adirondack Park did not cover its current domain until the early 1970s. While many of the original holdings came from tax foreclosures , over time the state bought huge tracts, aided by bond issues approved by

1968-504: The public. One in the late 1920s proved to be of particular value as the state was able to acquire a great deal of property at minimal prices due to the Great Depression . At that time the state's Parks Council bought the land and left management to the then-Conservation Commission. The state could also theoretically use its power of eminent domain to acquire Forest Preserve, but in practice it has rarely resorted to this. For

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2016-620: The revolutionary New York Provincial Congress , assembled by rebels when the New York General Assembly would not send delegates to the Continental Congress . The New York State Legislature has had several corruption scandals during its existence. These include the Black Horse Cavalry and Canal Ring . In the 1840s, New York launched the first great wave of civil procedure reform in

2064-412: The timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed. Since amending New York's constitution is a deliberately cumbersome process that requires the approval of both Assembly and Senate in successive sessions of the legislature, followed by public approval at the next general election , this put a severe damper on any efforts by the Forest Commission to placate the loggers while still claiming to be honoring

2112-484: The time being, the state is not seeking to expand the Forest Preserve as actively as it has in past years, since many of the most desired properties have been acquired. However, it remains publicly committed to working with any willing seller. Ecological and environmental awareness grew in the later years of the 20th century. Recreational use of the Forest Preserve began to rise to new levels, and newer methods of outdoor recreation became popular. These two factors led to

2160-424: The woods. New York State's wilderness areas are managed in a way essentially similar to their federal counterparts . Wilderness areas are those judged to have been far more affected by nature than humanity, to the extent that the latter is practically unnoticeable. As a result, the Forest Preserve's wildernesses boast extensive stands of virgin forest. No powered vehicles are allowed in wilderness areas. Recreation

2208-428: Was (and still is) split between different regional offices, and it was hard to get them both following the same principles since they did not communicate much. There was also no serious planning involved. New trails were created, or allowed to be created by outside parties, with little thought to their environmental impact or regional role. Camping was permitted anywhere, and some of the sensitive alpine environments in

2256-400: Was also altered by a 1963 storm which formed landslides on the mountains in the area. A variety of forest cover now exists in the area. The higher elevations on the slopes of the mountains contain spruce , balsa , and white birch , while lower elevations contain oak , maple , basswood , and white-ash . Some stands of old-growth eastern hemlock remain near Roaring Brook Falls. The GMWA

2304-424: Was later changed to Article XIV), is often referred to as the "forever wild" section even though those two words do not appear next to each other in the text. The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall

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