blue line?

[SteveHiker]

I feel kinda dumb asking this, but I will anyway. I keep seeing occasional references to the Blue Line. What exactly is it? (No, I don't spend much time in New York, )

 

[snowshoe]

The blue line is the boundaries for the Catskills and ADK forest preserves

 

[SteveHiker]

oh, ok. thanks.

Googling just brought up lots of train schedules and hockey off-sides rules.

 

[mavs00]

Yup, that's basically it.

It's been discussed before --HERE- (starting around post 12-13)
and -HERE- among other places.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Some history:

• 1872 Verplanck Colvin was appointed chief of an Adirondack survey. On a map appended to his 1872 annual report, he inscribed a thin blue line. In the text he stated the line "may be of value in the determination of the area of forest which it is necessary to preserve in order to protect ... the sources of the Hudson."
• 1885 State Forest Preserve enacted into law authorizing the start of land purchases in the Adirondacks.
• 1891 the State Forest Commission suggested the whole of the Adirondacks be called a park. In their report they included a map with the proposed park boundaries marked in blue. Less than 20% of the land within the Blue Line was state owned at the time.
• 1892 a new state law was enacted authorizing the Forest Commission to sell lumber from any part of the preserve.
• 1894 in reaction to the 1892 law the State Forest Preserve was written into the new state constitution specifying that the preserve lands were "to be forever kept as wild forest lands".
• 1904 Catskill Blue Line established. The Catskill forest preserve lands have the same constitutional "forever wild" protections as the Adirondacks.

Both the Adirondack and Catskill Blue Lines have been enlarged several times. Not all lands within the blue lines are state owned, and not all state owned lands within the blue lines are "forever wild" preserve lands. State campgrounds, historic sites, interpretive centers, state highways are among the state lands not under the forever wild protection. There are ongoing debates and interpretations of what "forever wild" means. For example the DEC can and does authorize the cutting of trees within the preserves for the construction of trails and for the opening/maintaining of views on the trails. There are varying Unit Management Plans in the different wilderness areas and wild forests within the preserves.

References:

• Footsteps Through the Adirondacks, The Verplanck Colvin Story, Nina H. Webb, forward by Norman J. Van Valkenburgh
• Our Wilderness, Michael Steinberg, published by the ADK, chapter 7, Forever Wild

 

[rhihn]

I feel kinda dumb asking this, but I will anyway. I keep seeing occasional references to the Blue Line. What exactly is it? (No, I don't spend much time in New York, )

No need to feel dumb at all - it's a good question. The "Blue Line" simply refers to a blue line drawn on a map back in the 1890's delineating the original boundary of the Adirondack Park. I say "simply" but the history of the park since then is anything but simple, and is a unique blend of public and private land.

 

[Rick]

The following are the land classifications used by the DEC for land designations within the blue line (Taken from DEC Public Lands Website )

If you were interested in an Adirondack Quest Patch, my ADK Chapter, (Genesee Valley) created a program that requires visits to wilderness and wild forest areas as shown here

Land Classifications
The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, originally developed by the Adirondack Park Agency in 1972, divides the lands of the Forest Preserve into several classifications. DEC manages individual areas of the Forest Preserve in accordance with the guidelines given in the Master Plan, as summarized for the major classifications below:

Wilderness
There are 17 wilderness areas with a total area of about 1 million acres. Because access by motor vehicles and bicycles is not allowed, wilderness areas afford visitors exceptional opportunities for solitude in remote forest settings. The St. Regis Canoe Area is managed as a wilderness, but with special emphasis on travel by canoe.

Wild Forest
About 1.3 million acres of Forest Preserve land are classified as wild forest. These diverse lands offer a wider range of recreational opportunities. Limited access by motor vehicle is permitted on designated roads, and most trails are open to mountain bicycles. Some wild forest areas have extensive snowmobile trail systems. Areas like the Moose River Plains and Aldrich Pond Wild Forests are available for a variety of motorized and non- motorized recreation.

Primitive Areas
Primitive areas generally are Forest Preserve land areas that have the natural characteristics of Wilderness but either because of small size or the presence of roads or other man made features cannot be classified as Wilderness. There are two dozen Primitive Areas and corridors totaling approximately 51,000 acres of land within the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

Historic Areas
Historic areas are properties that are significant in New York State history and are now owned by the State of New York. There are three historic areas in the Adirondack Park: Camp Santanoni, John Brown's Farm and grave site and Crown Point. All are listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places and have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. Camp Santanoni is the only publicly owned Adirondack Great Camp and is managed by DEC as an Historic Area. More information about Crown Point and John Browns Farm and how to get there is available by visiting the website for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Intensive Use Areas
A number of places within the Forest Preserve are developed for more Intensive recreational use. Besides the Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain Ski Areas and the scenic highways ascending Whiteface and Prospect Mountains, there are numerous campgrounds and picnic areas throughout the region. Many Adirondack lakes are accessible from DEC boat launch sites.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Reviving another old thread for the Q&A New York forum, which contains some history of the blue line and definitions of land usage classifications within the forest preserves.