Summary
The bill would amend Highway Law section 212 eliminating existing legal authority of the state to close roads on state lands of the Adirondack Forest Preserve where the use of off-road and all terrain vehicles (ATVs) threatens these constitutionally protected ‘forever wild’ public lands.

Explanation
This legislation is an attempt to strip the state’s legal authority (specifically the authority of the Department of Environmental Conservation) to close roads on Adirondack Forest Preserve lands.

Highway Law section 212 is a useful tool for protecting Adirondack Forest Preserve lands. For example, some roads have been used by ATVs to illegally access Forest Preserve lands.  By specifically exempting the Adirondack Forest Preserve from section 212, the bill will undercut the state’s ability to protect and preserve these ecologically sensitive areas from activities such as these.

If enacted, this bill would inhibit the state’s right and responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Adirondack Park State Master Plan which prohibit public use of motor vehicles on roads in Wilderness areas of the Adirondacks.

Environmental Advocates of New York opposes this bill.