Take Action: Speak Up for Debar Pond!
Dear AWA Supporter:
We are currently gathering signatures for a petition to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) asking them to abandon a 2020 draft management plan to reclassify a portion of Debar Pond as an Intensive Use Area. Located amidst the northernmost mountains of the Adirondack Park, this little-known pond deserves a much better fate.
You can read Bill Ingersoll’s recent commentary on this issue here. We would like to see Debar preserved as a wild destination—no lodge, no pavilions, no septic systems. Just the sighing wind through the pine trees as sunlight strikes the rugged mountainsides. This place is already easily accessible and requires no artificial enhancements.
Below is the petition we will be sending to DEC, and we would love to include your digital signature! The process is easy: just scroll to the bottom of this page, add your name and contact information, and click submit! We will not use this information for any other purpose! We simply want to send the strongest possible message.
Keep Debar Pond Forever Wild!
No Reclassification! No Intensive Use Area!
Katie Petronis, Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Dear Deputy Commissioner Petronis:
Debar Pond is an unspoiled, fjord-like glacial lake unique in the Adirondacks. The pond and shoreline are wholly contained in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest and the only development on the shore is an empty lodge and outbuildings at the northern end. Although it is only a mile from the nearest highway, the pond offers an outstanding experience of unspoiled remoteness and solitude. With a short, easy path from the parking area to the shore, Debar Pond is an unparalleled opportunity for anyone, including those with mobility limitations, to experience a stunning, truly wild place.
The DEC currently has a draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for a “Debar Pond Day Use Area” that would reclassify the northern shore from Wild Forest to Intensive Use, weakening the protection of the area and allowing the construction of picnic areas, pavilions and other facilities which would destroy the wild character that makes Debar Pond so special. The draft UMP itself states that “Debar Pond is in a portion of the Adirondack Park that generally receives lower levels of visitor use than other areas. Debar Pond offers the rare combination of easy accessibility from a public highway and a remote wild character.” With intensive use facilities nearby at both Meacham Lake and Buck Pond, there is no reason to destroy the wild character of a unique jewel like Debar Pond. We urge DEC to abandon the plan for an intensive use area and choose a rewilded shore and accessible path to a pristine pond that will be a wild experience for generations of visitors.
