TOWN OF TUSTEN, NY — The Town of Tusten held a public hearing on its Natural Resources Inventory (NRI), Open Space and Recreation Plan on December 9, ahead of the regular Tusten board meeting. The board discussed an Open Space grant it received with assistance from the Upper Delaware Council. Peter Manning, a consultant who has worked with the town on a number of land use projects, spoke and gave an overview of the project.

Manning said this project came out of the town’s comprehensive plan. Tusten had a natural resource inventory that was completed in 2011, as well as a conservation advisory council. However, there was never a local law that adopted it by a resolution. 

“The conservation advisory council became inactive and out of the comprehensive plan [it was decided] ‘let’s reorganize the advisory council,’ so we did that,” said Manning. 

“We wanted to do an Open Space Recreation Plan and to do that we really need an updated natural resources inventory,” Manning told the board. 

Manning said that the maps were outdated and were not electronic. They went on to draft a grant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to create a National Resources Inventory (NRI) for the Town of Tusten. 

That project was funded and they hired consultant MJ Engineering. Another plan in Bethlehem, just south of Albany, was an example the council could learn from. “Through the dialogue with them we were able to tackle the entire project,” said Manning. 

Manning told the public that in a two-year process, they had at least two public meetings and got input from the community and a lot of recommendations in the plan. 

“It’s been over for some time now and I put the latest comments in the summertime,” said Manning, referencing the latest updates. “The council is great and they had a lot of say in shaping the plan, and the inventory is factual.”

“Because of this plan, we have a relationship with the representatives from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), representatives from the Boy Scouts, and that’s important for the future,” said Jane Luchsinger, deputy town supervisor. “Peter knows our town so well because he has worked on the comprehensive plan and has worked on the zoning required. I took him on a tour of the town and he was impressed by things I didn’t even see, like the ruins at Luxton Lake and the dam. He has a great understanding of our town. So Peter is a wonderful resource.”

Town Supervisor Ben Johnson said the board will conduct another review of the plan after it is reviewed under New York State’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Only after that review is completed will the board be able to vote on the Open Space Plan. Any changes would be discussed at the January meeting before the board takes a vote.

Ten Mile River

In 2022, The Conservation Fund announced that it would partner with the Boy Scouts to preserve the majority of the land at Ten Mile River (TMR), a 12,000-acre reservation first assembled for the Boy Scouts in 1927.

The initial plans included the potential for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to ultimately preserve the land as a state forest. The Boy Scouts of America will maintain ownership of its four active summer camp facilities, which encompass 2,100 acres.

Board member Kevin McDonough asked about the status of the transfer of TMR. Manning said, “Although it’s quite likely, there is no guarantee. It looks like it will become a state forest, but until it’s confirmed there is always a slight chance of the state not acquiring the land, and they told us this all along.” 

A public commentator, identified as Jonathan, asked, “What is the obligation to the land trust people if the state defaults?” 

Manning explained that The Conservation Fund is in the business of conserving and holding land. If there needs to be an alternative down the road, it will still be under the mission of that organization. “No matter what the ownership [of the land], their mission is the same. [It is] not uncommon for these groups, such as the Nature Conservancy, to hold some land for quite some time before it goes to the state.”

Luchsinger said, “Maybe we should speak to our representatives.”

Manning said doing so wouldn’t hurt. 

Luchsinger said the future status of TMR likely played a role in the town’s ability to acquire a grant for the development of Tusten’s natural resources inventory. 

“I think one of the reasons that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation gave us the grant is because of the work that the DEC has done in its plan that showed the property that the Boy Scouts owned had global significance. Because it is up now for different ownership, it’s important that the specific ecosystems are protected,” she said.