A long and twisting path toward a key snowmobile connector trail in Upstate New York has hit another bump, as groups for and against the trail fill court rooms in the Empire State.
The proposed 13.5-mile multi-use trail would connect the communities of Newcomb and Minerva in New York’s beautiful and rugged Adirondacks, providing snowmobile access and the economic boost it provides to a rural area of the state and year-around recreation opportunities for people in the area. Work began on the trail, but in July a group calling itself Protect The Adirondacks won a court injunction against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and halted the project. 
On August 9, however, an Albany Supreme Court Justice lifted the stoppage and allowed work to continue again, but that was quickly reversed last Friday, when an Appellate Court granted what’s called a “temporary stay of execution,” halting work on the trail once more.
That decision stopped tree cutting for 10 days, during which time the Appellate Court much decide whether to issue a longer, more formal stoppage. The New York State Snowmobile Association has been among the groups active in defending the trail, and the majority of local community leaders are in favor of the multi-use trail as well, but as with everything it seems there are always people on the other side, and odd twists and turns that get argued out in court. This case included arguments over what constitutes a tree, as the total number of trees being cut is in question.
For details, here are two links to two stories covering the topic, one from the Sun Community News, and the other from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
