One issue that the DEC deals with on a daily basis is its own restrictions, imparted on them by the APA, restrict their ability to maintain trails and accomplish tasks on schedule in the High Peaks Wilderness. Also, there is not nearly sufficient funding to have a professional trail crew. The The DEC cannot use vehicles, power tools, or the help of large volunteer groups. This severely incapacitates the DEC's ability to maintain trails and backcountry facilities. With increased traffic to the Adirondacks in recent decades, the DEC is falling farther and farther behind in their maintenance schedule of certain areas of the Park. While the Adirondack Mountain Club has volunteer trail groups, these groups cannot enter the High Peaks Wilderness due to a ban on large groups in the Park. Also, volunteer groups cannot accomplish nearly as much work as a professional trail crew could. In 1999, the DEC formulated a plan to fix the 40% of trails in the High Peaks Wilderness that were reported to be in poor shape, but have accomplished fewer than half of the original 53 projects planned in 1999. More projects have arisen too because of the increased foot traffic and frequency of damaging storms, such as Hurricane Irene.
Trail damage by foot traffic does not only affect hikers; it can cause serious environmental harm. When people hike, they trample plants and roots that hold the soil together, so the soil becomes loose. When it rains, this soil gets washed away and over time, a trail becomes a gully. In the event of a large storm or massive runoff from snow, the gully can become a stream and erode away further at the soil on the sides of trails and in severe cases, cause small mudslides. In the Adirondacks, many trails are bare rock slab due to this runoff effect and the fact that there are only 2-5 inches of soil in some places. The exposure of the bare rock allows water to undercut the vegetation alongside the trails and accelerate erosion. Unfortunately, the DEC is seriously limited in its ability to prevent such damage. The rules that are designed to protect the wilderness are the same rules that are inhibiting its conservation.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-09-30/news/0209300219_1_peaks-wilderness-wilderness-area-high-peaks
Very interesting post! I'm not sure what the appropriate solution would be in this situation.. On the one hand, it does seem like the APA is being unnecessarily antagonistic towards the DEC. On the other, we have seen how previously (as in the case of the Big Blowdown) the DEC has gotten its foot in the door through a seemingly innocuous amendment to the constitution and then attempted to use it as a precedent.
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