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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Election Day is underway on Tuesday. So, what’s this year’s proposition on your ballot in New York State?
The proposition won’t directly impact people in Rochester or the Finger Lakes region. It has to do with the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in Essex County near Lake Placid and whether it should be allowed to operate on land protected in the New York State Constitution.
RELATED: Guide to who’s on the ballot across the six-county region
A viewer, Anne, asked: “I voted this past week and was surprised to see a statewide referendum on the ballot regarding state land near Lake Placid. That was the first I heard of it and was confused. Could you explain it to everyone, please?”
A clause in the New York State Constitution, known as the “Forever Wild” clause, says preserved land “shall be forever kept as wild forest lands.” The referendum proposes an amendment to that clause. A “yes” vote on Proposition 1 would allow the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex to continue operating on preserved land. It would also require New York State to expand land protections in the Adirondacks by 2,500 acres. A “no” vote would be against the changes.
Some environmental groups like “Protect the Adirondacks” support Prop 1 – saying it would ultimately mean more Adirondack land would be preserved. In a statement, Claudia Braymer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks! Inc. told News10NBC:
“This amendment will ensure that the integrity of Article 14, the “Forever Wild” clause, of the Constitution is respected, and it restricts development at Mount Van Hoevenberg to no more than 323 acres of land for the explicit purpose of Nordic skiing and biathlon trails and related facilities. The enacted legislation that accompanies the amendment makes clear that other facilities not directly related to the operation of the Sports Complex, such as zip lines, hotels, and swimming pools, are not permitted on these State Forest Preserve lands. In addition, the Forest Preserve will gain 2,500 acres of new lands as compensation. We support the amendment’s passage.”
New York voters have approved other amendments to the “Forever Wild” clause over the years. For example, you can ski on Whiteface Mountain thanks to a similar proposal that was passed through a state-wide vote in the 1940s.
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