APA ruling could affect future hunting camps

By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist

Last Thursday, the Adirondack Park Agency Commissioners voted to regulate the selling of hunting and fishing camps by the Diamond Sportsmens Club in the Colton-Parishville section of St. Lawrence County.

This and future rulings may have an impact on all hunting clubs.

Essentially, the Diamond Club wanted to sell shares in exchange for the right to build a camp on club land. The money was to help pay for land the club purchased from Lothair, Inc., the last owner of what was once Diamond Paper Company land.

According to Susan Allen, whose newsletter (see www.adirondackmaps.com/apar.htm) details each APA meeting, "Normally hunting and fishing camps come under the non-jurisdictional category, so this could set a precedent for other hunting and fishing camps."

Allen adds, "The APA did not deny the request outright, but did set restrictions like requiring a monitoring plan in which camp usage each week, month and year has to be recorded." There are now 42 camps on the 3283 acres, formerly the Barney Pond Club, and a number of new ones are planned. If the new camps are deemed as something other than for seasonal hunting and fishing, then APA can declare them as part of a subdivision, and a whole new set of regulations will apply.

There are future APA plans to revise its definition of a hunting and fishing camp, so those affected should keep abreast of any future public hearings on the subject.

Many of the hunting and fishing camps in the North Country are on leased land owned by large paper companies.