Property Owners' Association of Deep Creek Lake

2013 revised

 

Maryland's DNR Proposes Additional State Owned Acreage In Garrett County for Wildlands Designation

 

 

 

November 10, 2013
Folks,

 

This past Wednesday evening, November 6th, Secretary Joe Gill of DNR held one of a series of public meetings about Wildlands in Maryland similar to what he has hosted in other affected counties. I attended as well as other representatives of your POA Board and probably 40 - 50 citizens of Garrett County.

 

Currently there are over 11,000 acres of state owned land that is designated as Wildlands in Garrett County.  Secretary Gill advised that slightly over 8,500 additional acres are being considered within Garrett County for expanding currently designated Wildlands or being proposed as new Wildlands.  Many folks spoke both for and against this initiative.  In particular, the Yough Corridor is being considered as a new designation and includes 3,993 acres.  This popular area was the focus of many remarks.

 

I don't believe this is a matter on which the POA will state a position but I did want to make you aware of this initiative on the part of the state so that you could furnish any personal comments you would like to make as public comment is being solicited before December 9th.  While protecting this land already owned by the state sounds like the right thing to do, and for many it is, there are restrictions on use of the land that come with the designation as Wildlands.  For the most part, this designation means most people will only be able to access the land on foot - no bicycle or motorized traffic.  

 

Considerable concern was expressed, for example, that the limitations imposed by the Wildlands designation would prevent establishing planned trails and, possibly, the 150 mile Eastern Continental Divide Loop Trail. So, I wanted to insure you were aware of the initiative and the fact that there are some restrictions that would impact users of this land and, potentially, impact the economy of Garrett County.

 

If you have an interest in this matter, please take a look at the article and links found at this DNR Website.  In addition, you can Google Wildlands in Maryland for more information.

 

Best Regards,

 

Bob Hoffmann

President