Forever Wild Presentation

8/7/2019 Forever Wild Presentation

1/20

ASurveyofAmendmentstotheNewYork

tate

onst tut on s

orever

ause

Co eenR.Ke oeRo insonHP302:HonorsProject2

HerkimerCountyCommunityCollege

Fall,2008

Presentedto:

PL221.01(AdministrationofWills,Trusts,andEstates.)

HerkimerCountyCommunityCollege

Dr.MarkC.PolkosnikFriday,November14,2008


2/20

Property:

rights;itisdefinedbythevariousrightsor

.

consideredtobetheitemitself.

spreadamongnumerouspeople.1


3/20

Homeownersrights:

exc us ver g ttopossesst epropertyun ess t s ease tosomeonee se

tobringatrespassactionagainstatrespasser. someonewithalifeestatehastheexclusiverighttopossessionforhisorherlife,

andathirdpersonmayhaveafutureinteresttherighttopossessionwhentheetenant es.

Othersrights:

thebankholdingamortgage:

preventwastean t erig ttota et epropertyorse iti t eowner oesnotpaythemortgage.

acreditorwhoprevailsinalawsuitagainstapropertyownermayhavetherighttohavethepropertysoldbyasherifftoobtaintheamountofthejudgment.

citiesan townscanse privatepropertytosatis y iens orover uetaxes.


4/20

TheImpactoftheNewYorkStateConstitution

n ew or tate s orest reserve

WhataretherightstoNewYorkStatesForestPreserve?

Here,theNewYorkStateConstitutioncontrols.TheForestPreservegainedConstitutionalprotectionwhenthe"foreverwild"clausewasratifiedforinclusion

intoArticleVII,Section7 oftheNewYorkStateConstitutionin1894.3

sc ausewas ater ncorporate ntot e onst tut onw c nowstan sasthebasisofthelawoftheStateofNewYork.The 1938Constitutionrepresentsa

significantly

modified

version

of

the

1894

Constitution.

The

State

of

New

York

has

ado tedfiveConstitutions:1777,1821,1846,1894and1938. Additionall ,three

constitutionalconventionshavebeenheldduringthetwentiethcentury;butthe

workofthe1915and1967conventionswasrejectedbytheelectorate. 4


5/20

ForeverWild:' . . ,

McKinney'sConst.Art.14, 1Conservation1. Forestpreservetobeforeverkeptwild;authorizedusesandexceptions.[Forestpreservetobeforeverkeptwild;authorizedusesandexceptions]Section1. Thelandsofthestate,nowownedorhereafteracquired,constitutingtheforestpreserveasnowfixedbylaw,shallbeforeverkeptaswildforestlands.Theyshallnotbeleased,soldorexchanged,orbetakenbyanycorporation,publicorprivate,norshallthe

, .

Therefore,aConstitutionalamendmentisrequiredtocompleteprojectssuchasestablishingacemetery,wideningaskitrailandimprovingaroadwaywhichhavetakenplaceon ForestPreserveland.


6/20

TheprocesstoamendtheState'sConstitutionbeginswiththeamendment'sintroductionbysponsorsin.

appropriatecommitteesinboththeSenateandAssembly.

TheproposedamendmentisalsoreferredtotheNewYorkStateAttorneyGeneral.TheAttorneyGeneral

preparesawrittenadvisoryopinion(withintwentydays)totheAssemblyandtheSenate;thisopinion

outlinestheeffecttheamendmentwillhaveonthestate'sConstitution. TheAttorneyGeneral'sopinionis

aguideforthelegislature;oneorbothhousesmayconsidertheamendmentforavotepriortoreceiving

theAttorneyGeneral'sdocument.

Uponleavingthecommittees,theamendmentproceedstothefloorofeachhouseforavotewhere

identicalversionsoftheamendmentmustpass.Anamendmenttakesadifferentroutethanaregular

' ,

legislativesessionwhichfollowseachofthegeneralelectionofthemembersoftheLegislature.The

amendmentdoesnotgototheGovernor.Theamendment,whenpassedagainbythenewLegislature,is

thenputontheballotforastatewidevoterreferendum.Iftheamendmentisapprovedbythevoters,itis

thenincorporatedintotheNYSConstitution.TheamendmentoftenreturnstotheLegislaturewhothen

passeslegislationtodesignthewayinwhichtheamendmentwillbeimplemented;suchasrequiring

furtherenvironmentalorproceduralcontrolsrelatedtotheproject. 6


7/20

Amendments:aSurveyofRatified

andDefeatedProposals Averyearlyeffortin1895

involvedaproposalforthesale

andexchangeofForestPreserve

landwhichwouldalsopermitfor

theleaseofindividualfiveacre

sitesforprivatecamps.This

proposalhadthesupportofthe

.

However,itwasdefeatedbythe

votersbya21marginwhenit7

.

Photo by Colleen Kehoe-Robinson


8/20

In1927,theamendmenttobuildtheWhitefaceMemorialHighway

wasapproved.Fourteenyears

later,in1941,anamendmentto

constructskislopesonWhiteface

Mountainwaspassed(bya

marginofonly10,000votes!)

amendment,theNewYorkState

DepartmentofEnvironmental

thatsinceWhitefacehadalready

beenruinedbythehighway,

whatmorecouldaskislo edo?7 Photo source:http://www.whiteface.com/newsite/multimedia/slideshows/0506season/early_march/slideshow.html
http://www.whiteface.com/newsite/multimedia/slideshows/0506season/early_march/slideshow.htmlhttp://www.whiteface.com/newsite/multimedia/slideshows/0506season/early_march/slideshow.html


9/20

Whenplacedontheballotin1932,Newor svotersvote aga nstt e ose

CabinamendmentwhichwasaproposedamendmenttopermittheStatetoclear

ForestPreservelandinordertoconstruct

avar ety u ngs. ese u ngs wou

beusedprimarilyforrecreation,and

would becomprisedofskilodges,

warminghutsandanythingelsethatwas

eeme appropr ate. eproposa was

defeatedbya21marginbyNewYorks

voters,noteworthyfortheeffortsput

forthbyAdirondackpreservation

a vocate

o n

pperson

an

t e

AssociationforthePreservationofthe

Adirondacks. 7


10/20

SkiingintheCatskillsandthe

Adirondacks InNov.1947, anotheramendmentratifiedbyNewYork

State voters enabled the state to construct and maintain

twentymilesofskitrails.Thesetrailsweretobetwenty

toeightyfeetwideontheslopesofBelleayreMountain

inUlsterandDelawarecounties.Additionally,thirty

milesofskitrailswouldbeconstructedandmaintained

ontheslopesofGore,SouthandPeteGayMountainsin

Warrencounty.

Fortyyearslater,onNov.3,1987,anotheramendment

permittedskitrailsonWhitefaceMountaintobe

increasedfrom20to25milesandfrom80feetwideto

ee w e,prov e a nomore an m eso

trailsbemorethan120feetwide; permittedski

trailsonBelleayreMountaintobeincreasedfrom20to

25milesandfrom80to200feetwide,providedno

morethan2milesoftrailsbemorethan120feetwide;

and ermitted ski trails on Gore and Pete Ga Mountains

beincreasedfrom30to40milesandfrom80to200

feetwide,providednomorethan8milesoftrailsbe

morethan120feetwide; anddeletedreferenceto

SouthMountaininWarrenCounty. 5


11/20

TheBurdAmendmentandits

Consequences TheBurdAmendmentwaspassedbyNewYorkState

voters in 1913. This amendment ermitted the floodin

of 3%oftheForestPreserveforthepurposeofcreating

reservoirs.Towardsthemid1940stherepercussionsof

thisamendmentwerestartingtobeseen. Twovery

controversialprojectsinvolvingdams(oneatHigley

Mountain,andtheotheratPantherMountain,bothon

theSouthBranchoftheMooseRiver)wereprotestedby

theAdirondackMooseRiverCommitteewhichwas

formed tofightthedams.Thegroupincreased

awarenessandoppositiontotheplansamong

sportsmen'sgroupsandthegeneralpublicandthe

pro ec swere roppe . n , e s ran er

Amendmentwasintroduced.Itspurposewasto

permanentlyreversetheBurdAmendment.Itstated

thatnoriverregulatingreservoircouldbebuiltonForest

Preserveland. Votersin1953passedtheamendment.

1954 saw an amendment introduced to s ecificall

allowthePantherMountaindamtobebuilt. Whileit

passedtwosuccessivelegislatures,votersdefeatedthe

amendmentbya3to1 margin. 7Photo by Colleen Kehoe-Robinson


12/20

1957:HighwaysintheForest

Preserve ThepassageoftheNov.5,1957

amendmentenabledtheStateto

addressandeliminatedangerous

highwaycurvesandgrades.This

,

rebuildingandmaintainingnomore

thanfiftymilesofexistingstate

highwaysintheforestpreserve. The

max mumamounto anys ng e

relocatedportionofhighwaywas

limitedtoonemileinlength,andno

morethanfourhundredacresof

forestpreservelandwouldbe

involved.5



13/20

TheNorthwa whichruns

from

Glens

Falls

to

the

vicinityofKeesevilleand

ofanAmendment passed

onNov.3,1959.This

amendmentallowedforup

tothreehundredacresof

stateforestpreservelandto

beusedtocreatethe

Northwayandenableits5.


14/20

wereabletoexchangelandinaccordancewithan

amendmentpassedinNovember,1963.TheState

conveyedtothevillageofSaranacLakeforpublic

use,tenacresofforestpreservelandthatwass ua e nex o ev age. e enacreswas

allottedforrefusedisposal.Inexchangefortheseten

,

thevillageofSaranacLakewasconveyedbythe

villagetotheState.5


15/20

ThetownofAriettawasgrantedtheabilityto

votersratifiedthisamendment. Here,twenty

eightacresofforestpreservelandwasconveyed

tothetownfortheairportsextensionofthe

runwayandlandingstrip.

ThetownthenconveyedthirtyacrestoNew

YorkStateinreturn. Later,anotheramendment

providedforthetownofArietta tohave

conveyedfromtheStateofNewYorkfiftyacres

publicuse;againenablingtheextensionofthe

runwayandlandingstripofthePisecoairport.It

alsofacilitatedthemaintenanceofaclearzone

aroundtherunway.Inreturn,thetownof

Ariettatrans erre i tyt reeacreso true

forestlandtotheState.5


16/20

ToenabletheStatetomoresuccessfullymanage itslandholdings,this

conveyancetoInternationalPaperCompany.Approximatelyeightthousandfivehundredacresofforestpreservelandcontainedin

'

nineoftheMooseRiverTract,Hamiltoncountywastransferredto

InternationalPaper,whiletheyweretoconveyapproximatelythesame

numberofacresoflandtotheStateontheconditionthattheState

LegislaturefoundtheexchangedacreagefromInternationalPaper

Company tobeatleastequalinvaluetothatconveyedtotheCompany

fromNewYorkState.ThelandobtainedfromInternationalPaperwould

thenbeincorporatedintotheforestpreservewithinHamiltonCounty.5


17/20

In1983,NewYorksvotersratifiedan amendmentthatprovidedforanexchangebetweent e tatean t e agamore nst tute nc.,anot orpro te ucat ona organ zat on. e

Sagamore

Institute

received

from

the

State

approximately

ten

acres

of

land

and

buildings

adjoiningtherealpropertyoftheSagamoreInstitute,Inc.onSagamoreRoad,nearRacquette

LakeVillage,intheTownofLongLake,HamiltonCounty.Thisamendmentenabledthe

preservat ono stor c u ngst atare ste ont enat ona reg stero stor cp aces y

puttingthehistoricgroupingofbuildingsunderunitaryownershipandstewardshipofthe

SagamoreInstitute.

Inexchange,theSagamoreInstitute,Inc.conveyed totheStatetwohundredacresofwildforestlandlocatedwithintheAdirondackParkwhichwouldthenbecomepartoftheForest

Preserve.Thiswasdoneconditionally:

thelegislaturefindsthelandstobeexchangedbytheSagamoreareatleastequalinvalue

tothelandsandbuildingstobeconveyed totheSagamorebytheState

thenaturalandhistoriccharacterofthelandsandbuildingsgivenbytheStatewillbesecuredbyappropriatecovenantsandrestrictions

theagreementbetweentheSagamoreInstitute,Inc.andtheStateisadheredtointhatthe

landsandbuildingsexchangedbythestatewillreasonablybeavailableforpublicvisits.5


18/20

In1995,NewYorkersratifiedan

betweenthetownofKeene,EssexCountyandNewYorkStateforthepurposesofapubliccemetery.ThetownofKeenereceivedapproximatelytwelveacresoflandfromtheStateforthecemetery.Inexchange,theStatereceived

approximatelyonehundredforty .

dealincludedaneasementovertownownedlandwithanadjacentriverbedthatwouldbeincorporatedintotheForestPreservesothatthere

wouldbelimitationsonthefurtherdevelopmentofsaidland.5



19/20

Mostrecently,NewYorkersapprovedanamendmentwhichpermittedtheStatetotransferoneacreofForestPreservelandto

thetownofLongLake.Thepurposewastoenablethehamletof

Ra uette Laketousethislandto rovidesafedrinkin waterfor

Raquette Lake.TheRaquette Lakereservoirwasnolongerin

compliancewithfederalhealthregulations. Theadded

whichwellscouldbeplacedledtotheneedtoplacewellson

ForestPreserveland.ThetownofLongLake,inexchange,

leastequalvaluethatwouldbeaddedtotheForestPreserve.8


20/20

1 Brown,GordonandScottMyers.AdministrationofWills,TrustsandEstates.CliftonPark,NY:Delmar/Cengage,2009.

2 Brown,Gordon.AdministrationofWills,TrustsandEstates.CliftonPark,NY:Thomson/DelmarLearning,2003.

3 Smith,Greg.(2000,April12). NewYorkStatesAdirondackMountains.RetrievedOctober7,2008fromhttp://www.adirondackpark.net/

4 AlbanyLawSchool.(2008).MaterialsontheNewYorkStateConstitutionintheSchafferLawLibrary.RetrievedOctober5,2008from http://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=840

5 McKinney'sConst.Art.14, 1

6AdirondackCouncil.(2008).ConstitutionalAmendments. RetrievedOctober11,2008fromhttp://www.adirondackcouncil.org/constamendments2.html

7Smith,Greg.(2000,April12). APoliticalHistoryoftheAdirondackParkandForestPreserve:ThreatstoForeverWild. RetrievedOctober11,2008fromhttp://www.adirondackpark.net/history/political/threats.html

8 AdirondackCouncil.(2007)..Raquette LakeWellUsageApprovedByStateVoters RetrievedOctober20,2008fromhttp://www.adirondackcouncil.org/Raquette%20Lake%20well%20usage%20approved%20by%20state%20voters.pdf
http://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/http://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/http://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/http://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=840http://www.adirondackcouncil.org/constamendments2.htmlhttp://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/history/political/threats.htmlhttp://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/history/political/threats.htmlhttp://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/history/political/threats.htmlhttp://www.adirondackcouncil.org/Raquette%20Lake%20well%20usage%20approved%20by%20state%20voters.pdfhttp://www.adirondackcouncil.org/Raquette%20Lake%20well%20usage%20approved%20by%20state%20voters.pdfhttp://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/history/political/threats.htmlhttp://www.adirondackcouncil.org/constamendments2.htmlhttp://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=840http://www.xn--adirondackpark-f72h.net/

Documents

Forever Wild Presentation