The Governor formally announced the Biodiversity Inventory Study project which ADK and the Trail Conference lobbied for to do ecological inventory research in Allegany State Park and Sterling Forest. Here is the text of the press release.
Neil Woodworth (forwarded by Neil Zimmerman)
Study Ecological Resources Within State Parks
Governor George E. Pataki today announced a long-term partnership with The Nature Conservancy to provide a comprehensive five year biodiversity study of New York's state parks. The state will commit $1 million, focusing on rare plants, wildlife and ecological communities found on parkland. The Nature Conservancy will contribute significant staff support and scientific expertise.
"Our great state park system harbors a treasure of plants, animals and ecosystems that are a unique part of New York's natural history," Governor Pataki said. "This partnership will help build an appreciation for our incredible parks and all their natural resources."
The inventory project will be undertaken by a team of scientists with expertise in zoology, botany and community ecology. The initiative will be facilitated through support and funding from the Biodiversity Research Institute, created by state law for the enhancement and protection of biodiversity within the state.
"This partnership will advance our scientific understanding of these resources, ensuring that the management and public use of our state parks goes hand in hand with the conservation of natural diversity," said Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro. "The information will also serve as an important resource for the environmental interpretation and education at our facilities."
Initial priorities for assessment of biodiversity will be Allegany State Park in Western New York, Sterling Forest State Park and additional state parkland within the Hudson Valley, specifically Iona Island. "We are thrilled to join with State Parks to undertake this major environmental project," said Andy Beers, New York State Director for Conservation Programs for the Nature Conservancy. "We already know that our State Parks include many ecologically-important sites. However, new locations for rare plants, animals and natural communities discovered through this effort will provide a comprehensive picture of the role that State Parks play in protecting New York's biological biodiversity."
"Fully understanding the remarkable bio logical diversity of our state lands is essential to guiding our management plans," said Commissioner John Cahill. "Under Governor Pataki's leadership, New York State is working harder than ever to carry out far-reaching ecological studies, ranging from the tidal wetlands on Long Island to the fish populations of the Hudson River Estuary and the diverse plant and animal populations of Allegany State Park."
Neil Woodworth, counsel to New York's two leading outdoor recreational organizations said, "On behalf of the 135,000 members of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, we applaud Governor Pataki and Commissioners Castro and Cahill for undertaking this comprehensive ecological inventory. Good science and sound biological studies will be the foundation for state park management in the 21st Century."
Richard White-Smith, executive director of the New York Parks and Conservation Association said, "Bravo! This landmark ecological inventory of our state parks is a terrific public-private partnership. Finally, we will have the information long needed to ensure the protection and proper stewardship of our state's most important and most vulnerable natural resources."
The project will greatly enhance State Park's ability to manage the natural resources within the Park System, develop additional interpretive and environmental education programs, and identify those areas within parks that have special ecological importance.