By MATT LINDSEY

COLTON -- The Department of Conservation (DEC) is using funds from the Long Pond Easement agreement to purchase approximately 300 acres to add to the Whiskey Flats State Forest in the Town of Hopkinton

The owners of nearly 40 Adirondack camps on State Highway 56 were threatened with demolition of their structures in early 2017 on land they lease through Danzer, a timber company based in Austria that produces veneer, lumber and other wood products from hardwood.

DEC and Danzer negotiated a modification to the original 1999 conservation easement that will allow 15 of the camps where rights have expired to stay in perpetuity, according to DEC. Each camp will retain a one-acre camp envelope.

“I am pleased to see this process moving forward,” said Sen. Patty Ritchie.

Ritchie has been involved in the property dispute for several years in an attempt to reach an agreement between all parties.

“This amendment is a product of a lot of hard work and I appreciate Danzer and the DEC working with me to achieve this result,” she said. “It would also assure families who have owned these camps for generations can remain on the land and continue their hunting traditions for years to come."

Any modification to a conservation easement must result in a net conservation benefit to the State of New York, DEC said.

“In order to satisfy this requirement, Danzer ordered appraisals to determine the full market value of each camp and its corresponding one acre camp envelope,” DEC said. “Once the fair market value for the camps was determined, Danzer collected these funds from each of the 15 camp leaseholders and deposited the funds into an escrow account.”

The funds in the escrow account will reportedly be disbursed to DEC upon the modification being finalized and executed by all parties. DEC will use the money to purchase around 300 acres to add to the Whiskey Flats State Forest.

“This new acreage will protect wetland and wildlife habitats while also providing additional public recreational opportunities such as hunting, trapping, and hiking,” DEC said.

A public comment period on the proposed conservation easement modification will be held until Oct. 19. Comments may be submitted to landsforests@dec.ny.gov or to: Fred Munk, Supervisor of Natural Resources, DEC Region 6 Headquarters, Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601.

Since 2012, the camps have been scheduled to be removed on at least two occasions while Danzer has been in negotiations with DEC in an effort to save them.