NYS DEC Request for Information: Santanoni Wagon Service

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) submitted the following comments regarding the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Request for Information (RFI) regarding horse and wagon service into Camp Santanoni. AARCH has worked alongside the Town of Newcomb and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to preserve and protect Camp Santanoni since our founding in 1990. Responses, questions, or site tour requests regarding the RFI can be sent to this email: Comment.WagonRFI@dec.ny.gov.

AARCH believes in the importance of access for everyone to experience the beauty and magic of Camp Santanoni, to sit on the porch of the main lodge and hear the loons call over Newcomb Lake, to move through the lodge’s interior spaces and observe the changing light’s reflection on the birch bark wall covering. Camp Santanoni is the only publicly owned Adirondack Great Camp whose buildings are open to all.

In compliance with Adirondack Forest Preserve regulations, for over 20 years wagon service into Santanoni’s main lodge and Newcomb Lake has provided site access for thousands of individuals who could not bicycle or walk the 4.8-mile dirt road. AARCH would like to see continuation of this important service, currently provided by Larry Newcombe, whose wagon annually transports hundreds of individuals who could not otherwise make the journey.

AARCH encourages DEC to speak with current and potential teamsters regarding the condition, elevation gain, and grade of Newcomb Lake Road, to ensure the safety of horses and passengers. We stand ready to continue working with DEC and the Town of Newcomb on creative, site-specific solutions that further improve access for all to Camp Santanoni.