The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public input on its draft unit management plan (UMP) for Little Pond Campground and Day Use Area.
Located on Barkaboom Road in Andes, New York (about 20 minutes north of Livingston Manor and 30 minutes south of Margaretville), Little Pond is a beloved destination for backpackers exploring the Catskills on foot, tent campers traveling by car, and local folks visiting for picnics, swimming, and other lakeside activities.
The UMP will guide management of the campground for the next 10 years, and includes a long list of proposed improvements.
“[Unit management plans] seek to improve the recreational amenities and accessibility of DEC’s public spaces,” Olivia McGranaghan, Environmental Program Specialist with the DEC, told Radio Catskill. “They ensure comfort for visitors, and they help to improve the facility’s energy efficiency and operations.”
The plan will ensure any infrastructure repairs or replacements comport with the Catskill Park State Land Master Plan, and meet both state Department of Health and accessibility standards.
Accessibility is a key theme throughout the plan, including proposed improvements to the foot and bike trail that circles the lake to reach the popular “remote” campsites that cannot be driven to.
“It’s very close to being accessible right now,” says McGranaghan. “We just might need minor grade adjustments and slight resurfacing. We’re hoping to add more accessible camping options, and right now we don’t have any DEC operations-owned remote camping sites that are designated as accessible, so we’re hoping to start that at Little Pond.”
Additional proposals for that end of the lake include adding at least one more remote site and also adding a couple Adirondack lean-tos to two of the current remote sites.
Other proposals include improving campground infrastructure – rehabilitating campground roads, replacing water lines, and replacing all bathrooms to more modern and accessible facilities.
When severe thunderstorms knocked out power in parts of Andes in July, it left Little Pond’s offices temporarily unable to access phone or internet, and the campground’s water pump was also briefly offline. A proposed backup generator would address those issues.
And there are proposals to add to Little Pond’s recreational amenities – including volleyball, disc golf, and moving the current basketball hoop out of the day-use parking lot to help ensure the safety of basketballers and cars alike.
As McGranaghan explains, “our intensive-use areas are great at getting people outdoors and getting people to enjoy the more wild areas of the Catskills and Adirondacks, while protecting those wild areas at the same time.”
The DEC is encouraging the public to see the UMP for themselves and weigh in on all of its proposals. After the feedback is incorporated and final edits are made, the unit management plan goes to DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton for final approval.
“You can submit comments on the proposed actions in our public comment survey by November 9th to make your voice heard,” says McGranaghan. “And we do read all of them, and we do take them into account…we just love hearing everybody’s feedback!”
Public comment on the Little Pond Campground and Day Use Area Draft Unit Management Plan is open through November 9th. Links to the plan itself, the public comment survey, and an interactive StoryMap outlining the plan’s objectives are all at Little Pond’s NYS DEC web page.
Copies of the draft plan may also be obtained by calling (518) 457-6252