Heart Lake Property Master Plan

1993 Heart Lake Property Master Plan

 

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC.
HEART LAKE MASTER PLAN

Executive Summary

This is a Master Plan intended to provide a guide for the stewardship and use of The Adirondack Mountain Club’s (“the Club”) Heart lake Property over the next ten years. The Heart Lake Property is located at the most heavily used entrance to the High Peaks Wilderness Area (HPWA). The location of the Property provides the Club with a unique opportunity to have a positive influence on the use and management of the HPWA. The Heart Lake Master Plan has, as its fundamental purpose, the furtherance of the Club’s mission to promote the responsible use and management of the New York State Forest Preserve and public and private backcountry.

The Master Plan was prepared by a Special Committee appointed by the Club’s Board of Governors. The Special Committee met a number of times, including field visits at the Heart Lake Property, during 1991. A draft Master Plan was submitted to the Board of Governors and the chapters in September 1991. A final copy was submitted for adoption at the November 1991 annual meeting. Comment and advice were sought from the Governors and chapters throughout the process. The Master Plan was submitted to the Adirondack Park Agency in February 1992. In response to comments from Agency staff, this revised version was submitted in August 1992.

The Master Plan updates and replaces a previous plan adopted by the Club in 1985. The Master Plan also fulfills the requirements of a permit condition imposed by the Adirondack Park Agency as part of the approval of the Wiezel Trails Cabin. The Master Plan does not constitute a mandate for the proposals contained herein, nor does it authorize the construction of any specific improvements. Rather, it is intended as a conceptual framework to guide the Club’s stewardship of the property over the ten-year planning horizon. It is emphasized that the undertaking of any of the construction projects discussed herein would require specific authorization and approval by the Club’s Board of Governors.

The preparation of the Master Plan followed a formal process which consisted of the inventory and analysis of existing physical, cultural and human resources, the development of goals and objectives, an analysis of opportunities and constraints, discussion of options to accomplish the Club’s goals and objectives within the framework of the property’s opportunities and constraints, and the development of the proposed Master Plan. The Special Committee was able to rely on earlier plans for the property and on the extensive environmental inventory prepared by the Club’s Conservation Committee and the expertise of its members.

The Heart Lake Property consists of a central core area with physical characteristics well suited for development (e.g. favorable soils, slopes and vegetative conditions) and a surrounding area, including Heart Lake, with greater limitations to development. The Master Plan, therefore, provides that future development, other than backcountry-compatible uses such as campsites and lean-tos, be restricted to this core “active use zone” which is suited to such development. By limiting development other than campsites and lean-tos to the “active use zone” approximately three-fourths of the property will be left in a natural, undeveloped condition.

The Master plan analyzes trends in use of the property over the past 30+/- years of Club stewardship. This analysis demonstrates that while all forms of Club and public use of the Property have increased over time, the total number of guest beds and structures has actually decreased. Consequently, there is significant unmet demand from both Club members and the public for all forms of guest lodging, including camping facilities. In addition, there is a significant need for additional staff beds as well as a need for improvement in the quality of existing staff lodging facilities.

However, it is the intent of this plan that new facilities should be constructed not simply to meet demand, but rather to provide an opportunity for the Club to further its recreation, conservation and education goals, and, in particular to educate the public in proper backcountry stewardship through various educational programs.

The Master Plan also analyzes trends in the recreational use of the property. Most member recreation occurs on-site rather than in the adjacent HPWA. It is the intent of the plan to continue to enhance on-site recreation opportunities, for example, by expanding the network of nature trails on the property.

The Plan provides for a number of elements, which will assist the State in its management of the HPWA and reduce adverse impacts on the HPWA. These include efforts to better manage parking by relocating the parking lot and limiting the total number of overnight parking spaces; provide more education to backcountry users through conversion of the HPIC to a dedicated education center and construction of a new High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) building; provide greater emphasis on backcountry stewardship by expansion of the Club’s trail-maintenance and other volunteer stewardship programs; assist in management of backcountry use by expanding the camping area to replace spaces anticipated to be relocated from Marcy Dam and continue to promote an alternative to camping in the backcountry; and provide day-use alternatives to use of the HPWA through continued maintenance and public use of the Club’s various trails, including the Mt. Jo trail. The Plan should further the Club’s mission and insure a continued positive effect on the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

Specific elements of the Master Plan include the following:

  • All development, except lean-tos and camping facilities, will be confined to the active use zone.
  • A total of 30 additional guest beds may be provided.
  • The Loj dining room may be expanded.
  • Existing substandard staff housing will be replaced, poorly sited staff housing will be relocated and additional staff housing provided. Staff housing will be confined to a service cluster north of the Adirondack Loj.
  • Additional campsites may be provided.
  • The existing parking lot should be relocated to the north and down-sized, if required, to conform with the recommendations of the High Peaks Wilderness Area Unit Management Plan. Dedicated day-use parking should be provided and overnight parking limited.
  • The existing High Peaks Information Center should be converted to an education center and a new HPIC constructed at the relocated parking lot. The Nature Museum should be relocated to the vicinity of the converted HPIC.
  • Signage should be improved.
  • Circulation should be improved.
  • Increased emphasis should be put on all forms of education and stewardship services.

Implementation of the Plan will be dependent on specific authorization of each component by the Board of Governors and on attaining necessary funding. The Plan includes a conceptual phasing schedule; it is emphasized that actual phasing will be dependent on the Board of Governors action.

--September 1992

 

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC.
HEART LAKE PROPERTY MASTER PLAN

PURPOSE AND GOALS

Purpose of the Master Plan

The purpose of this Master Plan is to provide a guide for the future development, use and operation of the Adirondack Mountain Club Inc. (“ADK or the Club”) Heart Lake Property (“the property”) in the town of North Elba, New York. The Master Plan provides a means to utilize the Property in a way that furthers the Club’s mission and achieves its goals. The Master plan is intended to guide the use and operation of the Property over the next ten years.

The Adirondack Mountain Club is a nonprofit, member-supported conservation, recreation and education organization with approximately 11,000 voting members, and, including family members, 18,000 total members. It is devoted to the protection and enlightened use of the State parks and the Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill mountains. The Heart Lake Property is located at the major entrance to the High Peaks Wilderness Area (HPWA). The most heavily used HPWA trailheads are located on the Club’s property. Many visitors park on and begin their trip into the HPWA from the Club’s property. The Heart Lake Property, therefore, provides a unique opportunity for the Club to assist New York State in managing the Wilderness Area, to educate the public and to help to conserve the area’s resources. This Master Plan sets forth the Club’s proposals for accomplishing these objectives.

The Club previously prepared several five-year plans for the property; the most recent was completed in 1985. In February of 1990, The Club received a permit from the Adirondack Park Agency for the construction of the Wiezel Trails Cabin. As a condition of the Trails Cabin permit, the Club was required to submit a Draft Master Plan for the “Entire ADK Loj Facilities” by August 10, 1991 (since extended to February 1992). The permit condition further stated that the Club shall submit a Final Master Plan for all existing and contemplated facilities on the Project site, which addresses the issues of how and to what degree the operation of existing and proposed facilities will prevent undue impacts to the High Peaks Wilderness Area and which will augment the HPWA Unit Management Plan (UMP). A further purpose of this Master Plan is to address this permit condition, in particular the relationship of the Heart Lake Property to use and management of the HPWA. This relationship in turn depends on the recommendations of the HPWA UMP Citizens’ Advisory Committee. An additional purpose of this Master Plan is to react to these recommendations to the extent possible.

The preparation of this Master Plan and its approval by ADK’s Board of Governors and the Adirondack Park Agency shall not constitute a limitation upon ADK’s ability to amend or modify the Master Plan or to undertake land use and development projects that are not described herein. ADK reserves the right to do so during the life of the Master Plan or at any later date. Changes in the management and use of the Heart Lake property over which the APA presently has no jurisdiction shall not be rendered jurisdictional merely because they differ from the approved Master Plan. Actions that were subject to APA jurisdiction prior to the approval of the Master Plan will still require APA review and approval even though they are part of the approved Master Plan.

 

Mission Statement: Goals and Objectives for the Heart Lake Property

ADK’s mission for the Heart Lake Property is reflective of larger purposes.

The Club’s mission at Heart Lake is to manage the property and conduct its activities at the highest standards of appropriate stewardship, and thereby promote the responsible use and management of New York State’s Forest Preserve and public and private backcountry. To that end the Club is an advocate for environmentally sound stewardship and responsible recreational use of the Forest Preserve and all backcountry lands and has developed a program of information, education and services activities.

To further this mission the Club has adopted goals and objectives relating to its use of the Heart Lake Property for the purpose of recreation, conservation and education. The Master Plan makes proposals for implementation of these goals and objectives.

Recreation

Goals

  • The Club has two recreational goals for the Heart Lake Property: it should serve as a base for outdoor recreation for Club members and the public, and it should provide various logistical services for users of the Forest Preserve.

Objectives

  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to provide selected and appropriate logistical services for persons entering the High Peaks Wilderness Area.
  • The Heart Lake Property will provide trailhead access for the general public in conformance with the easement for foot access by the public that the Club previously conveyed at the request of the State, which is administered in consultation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to provide overnight accommodations and meals in the form of rooms, campsites, lean-tos and cabins for Club members and the public. Accommodations will be designed and operated to achieve minimal environmental impact.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to offer appropriate recreational day-use opportunities that emphasize low-impact activities on the property and in the adjacent High Peaks Wilderness Area and other heavily used areas.

Conservation

Goals

  • The Club’s conservation goals for the Heart Lake Property are to protect and preserve its scenic and natural resources; to serve as a base for backcountry stewardship in the adjacent High Peaks Wilderness Area and elsewhere; and to be a model for appropriate use of privately owned backcountry lands.

Objectives

 
  • The Heart Lake Property’s open spaces will continue to be managed to buffer and mitigate any impact to the adjacent High Peaks Wilderness Area. Development will be undertaken in a manner designed to minimize identifiable impacts to the High Peaks Wilderness Area and to preserve and protect unique and scenic natural resources. New development will be clustered and confined to a limited “active use zone” near existing uses and removed from Heart Lake.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to be available to DEC personnel to support their interior management practices, including information and education, search and rescue and forest-fire prevention and suppression.
  • The Heart Lake Property will provide on-site housing for part of the Club’s North Country staff, including the trail crew and others engaged in stewardship activities.
 

Education

 

Goals

  • The Club’s education goals for the Heart Lake Property are to offer informational and educational services to Club members and the general public in order to encourage appropriate use and stewardship of backcountry resources, including those of the adjacent High Peaks Wilderness Area.

Objectives

  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to serve as a base for informational services to the general public.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to provide a broad spectrum of educational programs for members, guests and the general public. Such programs will be designed to instill environmental awareness and sensitivity to low-impact recreation, to provide backcountry and wilderness information and cultivate responsible hiking and camping skills, especially among those new to backcountry usage.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to serve as a base for the Club’s stewardship activities in the North Country and for educating the public about and promoting such activities.
  • The Heart Lake Property will continue to serve as a base for research activities centered around the natural history of the Adirondack region.

PROPERTY HISTORY

The Heart Lake Property originated as a 640-acre parcel purchased by Henry Van Hoevenberg (perhaps better known as “Mr. Van”) as the site for a private lodge. The Property included both Heart Lake and Mt. Jo. In 1878 Van Hoevenberg built a five mile road to the property and laid out the first trail to Mt. Marcy. In 1880 he opened the first Adirondack Lodge.

The original Adirondack Lodge was a large, cedar log structure that could accommodate over 100 guests. The Lodge developed into a seventeen building complex including the main building with a service wing at the back, a rustic theater, a boathouse, staff quarters, sheds, a sugarhouse and a summerhouse overlooking the tennis court.

In 1895 the Lake Placid Club acquired the Lodge. The Lake Placid Club continued to operate the Lodge until 1903, when it was destroyed in a forest fire. The property stood empty until 1928. In the meantime, The Adirondack Mountain Club was formed in 1922. The Adirondack Mountain Club immediately began the stewardship and wise use of the Adirondack forest resources.

In 1928 the Lake Placid Club rebuilt a smaller Adirondak Loj (and changed the spelling). The area was even then the most popular route to Mt. Marcy, although usage was small by present-day figures. The new Loj could accommodate 24 guests and two staff staffpersons. The new Loj was operated for three years but experienced financial difficulties during the great depression.

The Loj was leased from the Lake Placid Club beginning in 1931 by Frederick Kelsey, who promoted its use as a Chapter of the ADK. After Mr. Kelsey’s death, the Lake Placid Club offered the property to ADK, which purchased it in 1959.

During the early 1960s interest in hiking and backcountry camping began to increase dramatically. The Loj was expanded in the mid-1960s to add much needed sanitary facilities, a new kitchen and increased guest capacity to 40 persons. At the same time, the Club began to offer and expand public-service activities. In 1962 a Ranger/Naturalist program was initiated. A rock-climbing school began in 1965. Public lectures and seminars began in 1965. Educational programs in the campground were also started at this time. A “Ridgerunners program” devoted to providing volunteer assistant rangers on the trails was started in 1977.

As use of the Forest Preserve grew, more people came to the Club’s property, attracted by the opportunity to hike in the High Peaks. Although the main trails in the High Peaks predated the Club’s ownership of the Heart Lake Property, the public use of the property was not formalized until 1964 when the Club gave the State a permanent easement for use of public foot trails crossing the Heart Lake property for the sum of $1.00. The terms of the easement do not require the Club to maintain the trailhead or provide parking. Although the road from Route 73, originally built by Van Hoevenberg, had been improved and maintained by the town of North Elba, and the hiking trails were on Forest Preserve land, the trails connected with the road over Club lands covered by these easements. No one had thought about where the public’s automobiles were to go, and by default, parking occurred in the middle of the Club’s campground—at times exceeding 175 cars. When the campground was full, cars were parked on the public road, creating a safety hazard.

The Club studied the parking problem and looked at several alternatives, including the alternative of relocating the Van Hoevenberg trailhead to South Meadow, away from the Heart Lake property. The State did not favor that alternative but wished the trailhead kept at Heart Lake. ADK subsequently, with its own funds and DEC approval, relocated the trailhead of the Van Hoevenberg trail; built a public parking lot for 200 cars on its own land; and constructed a Camper’s and Hiker’s Building to provide sanitary services, supplies and educational exhibits.

The first long-range plan for the Heart Lake property was announced in the Adirondac for November-December 1970. It included a general site plan, roads and hiker parking, a Campers’ (and Hikers’) Building, garage, storage, staff housing, Loj parking, a Members’ Building and Boathouse, and provision that a substantial part of the property be left as a natural area, including the abandonment of an old lean-to on the south side of the lake. Most of this plan was carried out in the subsequent decade except for the Members’ Building and the Boathouse. Replacing the old garage did not occur until the late 1980s. Concurrently, with the construction of the parking lot, the Van Hoevenberg Trailhead was moved to one end of the new parking lot and the trail rerouted so as not to pass through the campground. This new trail has subsequently had substantial trail work to harden it and improve its all-weather suitability. These changes were carried out after consultation with the Conservation Department, and the trail rerouting, as well as the construction of the parking lot, had to have Department approval. At the time of the first plan the property had a total of 64 guest beds.

The Campers’ Building was thought of as all things to all people and was referred to by many different names. Whatever the name, it was planned to serve a variety of functions: entrance control for cars; an administrative center for parking, campsites, etc.; a trading post; a wet-weather shelter for campers and hikers; a meeting place for the Outdoor Activities Committee and a storage place for its equipment; a storage place for winter rescue equipment; public showers and toilets; and several other functions. The Campers’ Building was completed in 1973 and is now known as the High Peaks Information Center.

In the 1980s, management of the Heart Lake Property, which had been under a Club Operating Committee, was put in the hands of a North Country Director, who is responsible for the care and control of both the Heart Lake and Johns Brook properties, and reports to the Club’s Executive Director. The North Country Director is advised by the Adirondak Loj and Johns Brook Lodge advisory committees, in addition to several other committees. Improvement of the property has continued under the leadership of several Committee Chairman, Directors and Board-approved Master Plans.

In 1983, ADK’s Board approved and supported a master plan dated September 11, 1983. This plan set the property’s overnight guest capacity at 96, based on 48 in the Loj and 48 in the cabins. At the time ADK had 48 beds in the Loj and 24 beds available in cabins for a total of 72 guest beds. The plan also proposed the development of staff housing for twenty (not including trail crews) and the consolidation of services to a “service” area to the northeast of the Loj. This plan also included a “Program Center” for conferences and educational workshops to the north of the Loj.

Three new cabins (Tyler, Staff Cabin and Campground Cabin) were built to replace three old rental cabins ( the Cottage, the Bunkhouse and the old Trading Post). These new cabins were all used to fill the need for staff housing. Cabins to replace the lost 21 rental beds and add another 27 beds were proposed as part of the plan in locations near Heart Lake on either side of the Loj, but were not built.

The 1985 Master Plan was an update which continued to define the capacity of the property at 96 overnight guest beds. It was approved and supported by the Board of Governors at its November 16, 1985 meeting. The old garage was replaced with a new garage and shop in a more secluded location. The Loj Parking lot was moved away from the lake. Four old Lean-tos on the north side of the lake were removed and the policy established to let that side of the lake revert to woods. The lean-tos on the east side of Heart Lake were replaced and moved back from the water. Several lean-tos elsewhere on the property were erected as memorials to ADKers by their friends. Trails were improved, signage standardized, and maintenance work kept up on the principal buildings.

In June of 1991, the new Wiezel Trails Cabin was dedicated, providing the trail crews with summer housing, and providing space for groups of up to 16. With the completion of the cabin there are 46 guest beds in the Loj and a possible 20 guest beds in cabins (when those cabin are not being used for staff) for a total of 66 guest beds. There are an additional 12 staff beds. This is two (2) fewer bed in the Loj, 28 fewer beds in cabins, and 8 fewer staff beds than the 1985 plan included.

Planning has been ongoing since the 1983 and 1985 plans. A draft plan for physical improvements to the property was completed in 1990, but was never adopted. It explored the idea of moving any and all future development away from the lake. This present Master Plan incorporates much of the previous planning, both formal and incremental, that has occurred.