First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan-2012 2011-2012 First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan Prepared by: Adirondack North Country Association, Saranac Lake, New York Ann Ruzow Holland, Ph.D., Community Planning Advisor, Willsboro, New York Warren County Planning Department, Lake George, New York 2012 This project, administered by the New York State Department of Transportation and managed by the Adirondack North Country Association, was funded by a grant to the New York State Scenic Byways Program through the Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan-2012 2011-2012 Table of Contents 001 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 002 Overview and Rationale for Proposed Changes ..................................................................................... 3 003 Vision, Theme, and Intrinsic Qualities .................................................................................................... 7 004 Byway Goals ................................................................................................................................................. 9 005 Scenic Byway Program and Definitions ................................................................................................. 12 006 Project Management Structure ................................................................................................................ 13 007 First Wilderness Planning Group ........................................................................................................... 14 008 Public Participation and Outreach Efforts ............................................................................................ 16 009 Regional and Local Support of Byway Planning .................................................................................. 17 010 Official Route and Connections with Other NYS Byways ................................................................. 18 011 Counties, Towns, Villages, Cities, and Byway Route Numbers ......................................................... 21 012 Byway Map ................................................................................................................................................. 26 013 Resource Inventory and Map Key .......................................................................................................... 28 014 Regional and Local Histories of the Byway Area ................................................................................. 29 015 Byway Description: “The Visitor’s Experience” ................................................................................. 36 016 Economic and Community Development ............................................................................................ 42 017a Tourism Development, Marketing, and Promotion .......................................................................... 54 017b Availability of Tourism Sites, Attractions, Services, and Events ...................................................... 65 018 Special Tourism Sites, Attractions, Services, and Events Typology .................................................. 86 019 Recreation ................................................................................................................................................... 90 020 Signage and Interpretation ..................................................................................................................... 108 021 Signage and Interpretation Inventory and Assessment ..................................................................... 124 022 Transportation, Safety, and Community Design ................................................................................ 143 023 Stewardship .............................................................................................................................................. 181 024 Regional Cooperation and Implementation Strategy ......................................................................... 185 025 Implementation Plan: Goals, Objectives and Actions ....................................................................... 188 026 Related Programs, Projects, Plans, and Studies .................................................................................. 189 Attachments 027 Resolutions of Plan Support 028 CD FWSB CMP Maps (2) i First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan-2012 2011-2012 001 Introduction Legislative History In 2007, the Adirondack North Country Association contracted with the New York State Department of Transportation to develop a Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the existing 40-mile Dude Ranch Trail Scenic Byway. When the State established its State Scenic Byway Program in 1992, this particular Byway received official designation as part of the New York State Scenic Byway System. A 1984 New York State Highway Law declared that this scenic touring route would be designated as the Dude Ranch Trail. The Byway designation was assigned prior to the enactment of a federal requirement that Byway routes have Corridor Management Plans in place to qualify for Scenic Byway Program funding. The roadway has been used since the 1960s for touring a regional network of remarkable Adirondack North Country sites. Corridor Management Plan Development Development of a Dude Ranch Trail Scenic Byway CMP was launched to create a planning document that would address the future development of this existing State Scenic Byway. It was prepared to specify the actions, practices, and administrative strategies necessary to maintain the corridor for the future and to establish eligibility for future granting opportunities. ANCA contracted with the Warren County Planning Office to act as Corridor Management Plan Project Facilitator and with Ann Ruzow Holland, Ph.D., Community Planning Advisor to help write the plan. The Project Facilitator coordinated local field activities, assisted in assembling the required data, and helped Holland prepare the draft plan. Sharon O’Brien, ANCA’s Program Coordinator, was responsible for overall project oversight. The Corridor Management Plan identifies and describes the Byway corridor and its resources. It outlines the public participation process used in creating the document and contains strategies presented by the Byway communities that support the realization of regional initiatives and local visions and the accomplishment of plan goals. Warren County Planning Office organized and directed public outreach and community-planning discussions. Input from participants, data collected in the field, and other available sources were used to draft the CMP. In order to improve the participation of residents and business owners along the Byway, the First Wilderness Planning Group was formed. To lay a foundation for self-directed initiatives along the route, ANCA and Warren County Planning Office encouraged the participants to describe initiatives they would in turn implement. The document details plans for economic development that promote tourism while preserving the Byway’s natural, historical, cultural and recreational resources, and maintaining the route’s distinctive qualities and character. It also describes how to maintain and enhance the Byway and proposes numerous regional and local projects and actions. Recommendations for future implementation are also included. One recommendation involves a name change from Dude Ranch Trail to First Wilderness. Another recommendation includes a route change. These identified changes are proposed in this CMP to reflect community-based interests and intentions with respect to Byway plan implementation. The plan developers strongly believe the two proposed changes are necessary to better reflect the current conditions of the byway and to insure the byway’s future operations comply with the program regulations. 001 Introduction 1 First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan-2012 2011-2012 Created at the grassroots level, the First Wilderness Scenic Byway CMP provides a blueprint of process and product to effect community planning, growth and development in concert with preserving the natural resources that form the basis for visitor interest in the region. It highlights the various Byway communities and gives voice to their definitions of the best approaches for future efforts to develop the trail. 001 Introduction 2 First Wilderness Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan-2012 2011-2012 002 Overview and Rationale for Proposed Changes The official Scenic Byway route and name, the Dude Ranch Trail, were adopted in 1992 by New York State, but do not accurately reflect the existing Byway resources, current intentions, or policy of the communities and governments along the route. The First Wilderness Planning Group and the Warren County Board of Supervisors strongly believe that a change in name and an adoption of a new section of roadway should be added to the existing route. Warren County has considered the position of stakeholders along the route and sought their endorsement of the modifications through County and Town resolutions (see Section 027). The Dude Ranch Trail relied on the existence of active, privately owned, equestrian-based facilities and resorts that were the basis for a “frontier-like” visitor experience. The commercial tourist-based