Fayetteville, N.Y. -- Deer hunting is not in the cards for Green Lakes State Park. The state has completed its proposed master plan for the popular park in Manlius. The document makes no mention of allowing bow hunting for deer in the park as some sportsmen suggested at a public meeting last summer. Bow hunters had said hunting would...
Fayetteville, N.Y. -- Deer hunting is not in the cards for Green Lakes State Park.
The state has completed its proposed master plan for the popular park in Manlius. The document makes no mention of allowing bow hunting for deer in the park as some sportsmen suggested at a public meeting last summer. Bow hunters had said hunting would cut down on a deer population in the park that some believe has gotten too large.
Under the draft master plan, the park’s ban on hunting would remain in effect.
“Deer management strategies will be developed on a regional level,” states the plan which is available on the website of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Copies also are available at the Green Lakes park office, state parks central region office at Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville and at public libraries in Fayetteville, Manlius and Minoa.
Robert W. Hiltbrand, state parks regional director, said the plan leaves it up to the state to develop a plan to manage the deer population if necessary. “There’s a lot of anecdotal information out there that there are too many deer or not enough deer, but we don’t have any real science behind that,” Hiltbrand said.
The state will hold a public hearing on the plan 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Fayetteville Village Hall, 425 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville.
The plan is designed to guide the future development of the park which offers hiking, cross country skiing, fishing, swimming, golf and other activities. The 1,774-acre park draws about 850,000 visitors annually, making it one of the busiest state parks in Upstate New York, Hiltbrand said.
One of the biggest changes in the plan calls for the relocation of the Rolling Hills campground on the western edge of the park. That campground restricts access to natural areas in the western part of the park, Hiltbrand said. Under the plan that campground would be converted into a day-use picnic area, giving visitors access to underutilized trails. A new camping area would be developed behind the park office.
“Day use activities of the park are all centered around the lakes,” Hiltbrand said. “There is a lot more to the park than just the lakes and we can do a better job of directing people to other trails in the park.”
The plan also calls for the construction of viewing platforms around the lake to protect unique habitats and wildlife. “We could design something that provides a more accessible opportunity for people to get closer to the lake’s edge without bring disruptive,” he said.
It also proposes an upgrade of the park’s seven rental cabins. “Each cabin could use sprucing up,” Hiltbrand said. “We have some plumbing issues to be tended to and floor to refinish.”
The plan does not attach any cost estimates or timetables to proposed improvements.
“If there is no funding for work to be done, none of these things will happen,” he said. “If the economy turns around, a good number of things could begin in the next several years.”