Heart Lake Property Master Plan

ADK Undertaking Revision of

1993 Heart Lake Property Master Plan

Over the past several years, ADK has reviewed the existing Heart Lake Property Master Plan (HLPMP) and is revising it to address current conditions, recreational use patterns, and opportunities for mutually beneficial partnership.

The documents provided below give the background and history on the master planning process and detail the developments and improvements that have occurred since the 1993 plan was adopted. All of these documents have previously been made public to the ADK Board of Directors. All implementation plans will require future approval by the ADK Board of Directors and the revised Heart Lake Property Master Plan is subject to change based on Board recommendations.

ADK leadership welcomes feedback from ADK members and the outdoor community with regards to future planning. ADK has set up a special e-mail address for capture of member and public comment. Please send any input to Adirondak.Loj@gmail.com.

 

Purpose, History, and Revision of the Heart Lake Property Master Plan

Purpose
The purpose of the Master Plan is to provide a guide for the development, use, and operation of the Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. (ADK) Heart Lake Property (HLP) in the Town of North Elba, New York. The Master Plan provides a means to utilize HLP in a way that furthers ADK’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 while still looking towards the future.

The Adirondack Mountain Club is a non-profit, member supported conservation, education, recreation, and advocacy organization with approximately 17,000 households, and over 30,000 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 ADK’s property. Many visitors park on and begin their trip into the HPWA from ADK’s property. The Heart Lake Property, therefore, provides a unique opportunity for ADK to assist New York State in managing the wilderness area, to educate the public and to help conserve the area’s resources. The Master Plan sets forth the Club’s proposals for accomplishing these objectives.

History
As of the 1993 Master Plan the Club had previously prepared at least nine “master plans” beginning in 1962. The Board of Directors (BoD) approved the most recent plan in 1993. Every plan was researched independently from one another and all came to the same findings and focus. The Master Plan of 1993 was the most exhaustive and complete plan to date encompassing land, buildings, flora, fauna, and water inventories. This was done to fulfill a permit condition from the Adirondack Park Agency to draft a Master Plan for the entire ADK Property to acquire a permit to build the Wiezel Trail Cabin.

In 1996 ADK President Bea Wood commissioned a group to do another study of the Adirondak Loj and it was determined that the property cannot be broken out in to segments but must be looked at as a whole for any planning or building to take place. A study with this expanded scope was completed and presented in 1998. ADK was then under the leadership of President Chuck Lawrence. The study identified changes needed to the 1992 Master Plan. Two things drove the changes; one was an engineering study on the Loj itself that identified structural issues with the building. The other was the passage of the High Peaks Unit Management Plan (HPUMP), which was designed to control and reduce the number of people going into the backcountry.

As part of the provisions contained in the HPUMP, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was to construct an additional 100-car parking lot at the junction of South Meadows and Adirondak Loj Road. A proposal was put forth that a partnership between ADK and DEC in a shared Visitors Service Facility (VSF) could be a viable alternative. In June of 2000, amendments to the Master Plan were presented to the BoD.

In September of 2000, ADK President Terry Sexton formed the Heart Lake Master Plan Review Working Group, headed by former ADK President Robert Ringlee. The charge to this group was to undertake yet another independent review and evaluation of the proposed amendments to the Master Plan and to report to the Board of Directors at the March 2001 meeting. The findings of this working group continued to support all previous findings in the Master Plan. Lack of financial backing and funding were the main reasons why no actions were ever taken to implement any Master Plan to an extent needed to move the HLP forward.

In early 2005 DEC reopened talks with ADK to build a joint VSF to fulfill some of the needs of the HPUMP. This resulted in ADK President Tom Wheeler and Executive Director Neil Woodworth directing Heart Lake Property Committee Chair Thomas Andrews and Deputy Executive Director John Million to review, revise, and put into motion a plan to implement the Master Plan for the Heart Lake Property.

Revision
Numerous changes in public perception and user trends with regards to backcountry recreation have occurred in the past ten years. As the location of main trailhead into the High Peaks Wilderness Area (HPWA), Heart Lake Property (HLP) has been at the focus of more than the normal share of these demographic changes. The implementation of the High Peaks Unit Management Plan (HPUMP) and its commensurate regulations has led to a decrease in visitation. In response to these shifts in use, ADK has adjusted the services offered at HLP and has moved to an experiential program-oriented model for management of the lodging, information, and camping facilities therein.

In the past, the majority of visitors to the HLP were either passing through on their way to the HPWA, or were staying at ADK property as a means of gaining access to the backcountry. In the last decade, more and more people who come to ADK North Country facilities are coming to enjoy the beauty of the Heart Lake and Mt. Jo and immerse themselves in the wilderness experience that can be attained without ever leaving the property’s bounds.

In conjunction with this change in user trends, the overall character of the relationship of American society to wilderness has also been undergoing a transformation. The proliferation of urban and suburban sprawl, the diminishing availability of open space, and the ever expanding search for time savings and convenience have driven the average person further and further away from the ability to naturally interact with wilderness.

ADK is in a unique position to counteract these trends with a core mission of the protection of wild lands and waters and the promotion of responsible recreation. Without the opportunity to develop the interest in and skills to interact with our natural resources, an ever-increasing number of individuals will find themselves ill-equipped to venture into a true wilderness environment. ADK’s Heart Lake Program Center can provide this transition step of a structured and nurturing wilderness experience, while providing visitors with the knowledge and support needed to become connected with, and therefore care about the natural world. Through an overall experience that combines interpretation, well-marked and designed trails, educational programming, informative staff, signage, and guest services, ADK can spark and develop the first flickering of interest that will lead to the creation of future conservationists and the leaders of tomorrow’s ADK.

Thus at the center of the revised Heart Lake Property Master Plan will be creation of the facilities and infrastructure support for ADK to adequately accomplish this mission. This has always been the focus of the various incarnations of the master planning process; from the time ADK first acquired the property until today. The only difference in this current model is a recognition of the changing nature of man’s interaction with wilderness, and a conscious acknowledgement that ADK has a vital role in bridging that ever-increasing gap between the average visitor to the Adirondack Park and the skills and knowledge that will lead to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for this incredible natural resource. And the Heart Lake Property itself is the key to this transformation.

Thomas Andrews, Heart Lake Property Committee Chair
John Million, Deputy Executive Director

 

Existing 1993 Heart Lake Property Master Plan

The current Master Plan is a very comprehensive, well researched document that totals over 150 pages. The excerpt linked to here contains the Executive Summary, the Purposes and Goals, and the Property History. Read More...

 

Heart Lake Property Master Plan Review Working Group

A working group was convened in 2000 to review the 1993 HLPMP and make recommendations for revisions. Ths group reported to the ADK Board of Directors in 2001. The excerpt linked to here includes the Introduction, and Principle Findings and Recommendations of that report. Read More...

 

1993 Heart Lake Property Master Plan Accomplishments

Many of the provisions of the existing 1993 Heart Lake Master Plan have been implemented. This document details highlights of the 1993 plan recommendations and shows what items had been accomplished when this report was given to the ADK Board of Directors in 2006. It also mentions possible revisions to the existing plan to adjust for changing needs of the public and ADK. Read More...

 

Heart Lake Property Master Plan Revision Implementation Schedule

This document was originally presented to the ADK Board of Directors in 2006. It gives a possible implementation schedule and phasing for projects related to the revised Heart Lake Property Master Plan. Some of these proposed timelines have already passed as changes in state government have deferred activities. The implementation schedule from the 1993 plan is included to show contrasts and parallels with proposed current phasing. ADK hopes to work with DEC and other partners to reinvigorate the process in the near future. Read More...