White, Still, & Wild A Blueway Trail Development Plan for the Black River in Oneida, Lewis and Jefferson Counties in New York State Advisory Committee Members: Scott Burto Jefferson County Trail Coordinator Don Canfield Jefferson County Planning Department Gary DeYoung Director of Tourism - Thousand Islands International Tourism Council Bob Diehl Lewis County Trail Coordinator Dave Ernst Mayor - Village of Boonville Christine Hoffman Downtown Development Specialist - City of Watertown Donald Hunt Board Member - Pratt Northam Foundation Tom O'Riley Blackwater Development Phyllis Pfendler Oneida County Convention& Visitors Bureau Karl Reutling former Executive Director - Lewis County Opportunities, Inc. Fred Schneider Supervisor - Town of New Bremen Nichelle Billhardt Lewis County Soil & Water Conservation District Terry Thisse Supervisor - Town of Martinsburg Bethany Yost President - Lewis County Chamber of Commerce Special Thanks To: Andy Labruzzo Coastal Resources Specialist - NYS Department of State, Div. of Coastal Resources David Zembiec Community Development Director - NYS Tug Hill Commission Emily McKenna Community Development Specialist - NYS Tug Hill Commission Carla Malmgren Community Development Specialist - NYS Tug Hill Commission Katie Malinowski Associate Director of Natural Resources - NYS Tug Hill Commission Mickey Dietrich GIS Specialist – NYS Tug Hill Commission This document was prepared for Prepared by: the New York State Department of Produced with the cooperation peter j. smith & company State with funds provided under of the New York State design based planning, inc. Title 11 of the Environmental Tug Hill Commission Buffalo, New York Protection Fund. Fort Erie, Ontario Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.1. What is a Blueway ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2. Project Partners ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 3.0 Project Area .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1. Blueway Trail Area Boundary ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2. Character Areas ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.1. Wild River Area ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.2. Flatwater Area .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2.3. Whitewater Area ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 3.3. Blueway Corridor Profile ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3.3.1. History ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3.3.2. Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.3.3. Water Quality ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.3.4. Water Use ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.3.5. Climate ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.3.6. Land Use ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 3.3.7. Local Development Controls ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 3.3.8. Flooding and Erosion ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 3.3.9. Dams ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.3.10. Topography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17 3.3.11. Geology ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.3.12. Trails .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3.13. Camping .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3.14. River Access Points ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 3.3.15. Travel Routes ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 3.4. Scenic Byways ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21 3.4.1. Black River Trail Scenic Byway .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 3.4.2. Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.3. NYS Route 28: Central Adirondack Trail ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 23 3.4.4. Olympic Scenic Byway ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23 3.5. Intrinsic Resources ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................