About proposition 4
VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 4!
ADD TO ADIRONDACKPARKLANDS AND RESOLVELAND TITLES AT NO COST TO THE TAXPAYER
Passed unanimously by NYS Assembly and NYS Senate and supported by:
Sierra Club
Open Space Institute
Adirondack Council
AdirondackMountain Club
Adirondack Wild
Protect the Adirondacks!
Since the 1800’s, Adirondack land titles in “Township 40” in Hamilton County’s Town of Long Lake and Raquette Lake have been confused by conflicting claims amongst the State and both public and private owners including the school, firehouse, waste transfer station, utility station, marina, businesses and homes – 216 parcels in all.
Litigation has been expensive and generally unproductive for the State. All parties would prefer to settle these issues out of court. However, the NYS Constitution requires a Constitutional Amendment to permit the State’s release of any claim to Adirondack land. Such Amendments must first be authorized by the State Legislature and then approved by the majority of voters. Both houses of the State Legislature have unanimously approved this Amendment and “Proposition 4” will appear on November’s ballot for voter approval. This Amendment will permit the State to settle these Township 40 claims and clear local land titles in exchange for funding to purchase land which the State has long wanted to add to the park.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is expected to recommend that the Legislature target the historic Marion River Carry for acquisition through this process. The Marion River Carry is 295 beautiful forested acres along the MarionRiver, portions of the UtowanaLake shore, and a canoe portage that connects RaquetteLake with UtowanaLake and BlueMountainLake. This will open this land for public recreation and forever protect it from development.
Please join us in completing 10 years of work by our State legislators, Hamilton County legislators and officials, DEC, the Attorney General’s Office, Town of Long Lake officials, Adirondack environmental groups and private citizens in this effort to clear this legal tangle and add to the Forest Preserve at no cost to the taxpayer.
VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 4!
The proposed amendment to section 1 of article 14 of the Constitution would authorize the Legislature to settle longstanding disputes between the State and private entities over ownership of certain parcels of land in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County. In exchange for giving up its claim to disputed parcels, the State would get land to be incorporated into the forest preserve that would benefit the forest preserve more than the disputed parcels currently do. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?
