DEBAR MOUNTAIN COMPLEX Including: DEBAR MOUNTAIN WILD FOREST PROPOSED DEBAR LODGE INTENSIVE USE AREA MADAWASKA FLOW/QUEBEC BROOK PRIMITIVE AREA DEER RIVER PRIMITIVE AREA Draft Unit Management Plan Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement Draft River Area Management Plans Deer River, East Branch Saint Regis River, and Saint Regis River NYS DEC, REGION 5, DIVISION OF LANDS AND FORESTS P.O. Box 296, Ray Brook, NY 12977 [email protected] www.dec.ny.gov December 2020 This page intentionally left blank Executive Summary The Debar Mountain Complex (DMC or Unit) is located in the northern portion of the Adirondack Park. The planning unit comprises 88,335 acres of Adirondack Forest Preserve lands located in the towns of Brighton, Duane, Franklin, Santa Clara and Waverly within Franklin County. These lands include the 80,427-acre Debar Mountain Wild Forest (DMWF); The 6,038-acre Madawaska Flow–Quebec Brook Primitive Looking south across Debar Pond Area; and the 1,870-acre Deer River Primitive Area. Buck Pond and Meacham Lake Campgrounds are located within the planning area, but they are not subject to this management plan. The DMC is adjacent to approximately 90,000 acres of conservation easement lands that enhance the protected qualities of the state lands and offer additional recreational opportunities. These lands are comprised of the Kushaqua Tract Conservation Easement (18,989 acres) and the Santa Clara Tract Conservation Easement (72,041 acres). The DMC is spread over a vast landscape with diverse terrain features and habitat types. These include large wetland complexes, rolling hills, and higher mountains. Various forest types and ecological communities can be found across the unit. Approximately 30 miles of trails on the unit offer opportunities for hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and snowmobiling. Popular destinations within the unit include Debar Mountain, Azure Mountain, and Hays Brook. Three lean-tos and numerous primitive tent sites offer opportunities for camping near ponds and along trails. Opportunities for undeveloped camping, away from established sites, abound across the unit. Debar Mountain Complex Draft Unit Management Plan | i Executive Summary Other popular uses of the unit include hunting, fishing, canoeing, and boating. Access to the unit's water resources is available at Meacham Lake Campground and Buck Pond Campground, as well as on the St. Regis River, Osgood Pond, Jones Pond, Deer River Flow, Mountain Pond, and Lake Kushaqua. Vehicle access to the DMC is provided primarily via NYS Routes 3, 30, and 458. Important local roads for access include County Route 26 (Old Route 99), Red Tavern Road, Kushaqua-Mud Pond Road, Gabriels-Onchiota Road, Blue Mountain Road, and Oregon Plains Road. ii | Debar Mountain Complex Draft Unit Management Plan Contents I. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 A. Unit Overview ........................................................................................................... 1 B. Planning Process and Timeline ................................................................................ 6 C. General Guidelines and Objectives for Management of the Unit ............................. 6 D. An Integrated Series of Related Actions .................................................................. 7 II. Natural Resources ......................................................................................................... 9 A. Geology .................................................................................................................... 9 B. Soils ....................................................................................................................... 10 C. Topography ............................................................................................................ 12 D. Water Resources ................................................................................................... 12 E. Invasive Species .................................................................................................... 18 F. Vegetation .............................................................................................................. 23 G. Wildlife and Hunting ............................................................................................... 29 H. Fisheries and Fishing ............................................................................................. 46 I. Climate Change ....................................................................................................... 47 III. Recreational Resources and Human Uses ................................................................ 55 A. Carrying Capacity ................................................................................................... 55 B. Parking ................................................................................................................... 66 C. Roads ..................................................................................................................... 70 D. Bridges ................................................................................................................... 80 E. Camping ................................................................................................................. 81 F. Paddling/Hand Boat Launches ............................................................................... 89 G. Trail Usage ............................................................................................................ 93 H. Rock and Ice Climbing ......................................................................................... 110 I. Fire Towers ............................................................................................................ 111 J. Access for People with Disabilities ........................................................................ 115 Debar Mountain Complex Draft Unit Management Plan | iii Table of Contents K. Dams .................................................................................................................... 117 L. Reclassification Proposals .................................................................................... 124 IV. Phases of Implementation ....................................................................................... 131 References .................................................................................................................... 137 Appendix A – Management and Policy Considerations ................................................. 147 Appendix B – Analysis of Alternatives ........................................................................... 159 Appendix C – Potential Environmental Impacts and Proposed Mitigation Measures .... 163 Appendix D – Pond Narratives ...................................................................................... 169 Appendix E – Public Use Information ............................................................................ 209 Appendix F – OPRHP Consultation .............................................................................. 211 Appendix G – Public Comment ..................................................................................... 213 Appendix H – Debar Lodge Day Use Area Draft Unit Management Plan ...................... 223 iv | Debar Mountain Complex Draft Unit Management Plan I. Introduction A. Unit Overview Description of Unit The Debar Mountain Complex (DMC) planning area is comprised of a collection of State Forest Preserve parcels. These Forest Preserve lands are protected as “forever wild” by Article XIV, Section 1 of the New York State Constitution. The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APLSMP) further classifies the lands in the Adirondack Park. In the DMC 80,427 acres are classified as Wild Forest (which is the entirety of Debar Mountain Wild Forest) and 7,908 acres are classified as Primitive (which consist of the Madawaska – Quebec Brook and the Deer River Primitive areas). The Buck Pond and Meacham Lake Campgrounds are also located within the planning area, but they are not subject to this management plan; their management is addressed in separate management plans. The DMC contains prominent watercourses classified under the Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System Act (WSRRS Act). These are the Deer River, East Branch Saint Regis River, and Saint Regis River. In accordance with the WSRRA Act and its implementing regulations, found in Part 666 of Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (6 NYCRR), this Unit Management Plan (UMP) also serves as a River Area Management Plan for the designated rivers where they intersect the DMC. Section II.D of this UMP contains information on the river areas. The DMC is located between the lowlands of the St Lawrence River Valley and the lakes region of southern Franklin County. It is spread over a vast landscape with diverse terrain features and habitat types. These include large wetland complexes, rolling hills, and higher mountains. Various natural communities can be found throughout this Unit. History Early eighteenth-century nomenclature often described the unsettled and uncharted wild lands of the present-day Adirondack region of northern New York as the “Great North Debar Mountain Complex Draft Unit Management Plan | 1 I. Introduction Woods” or “The Wilderness,”