NEWCOMB, N.Y. (AP) — Student researchers are shuffling through thousands of pages from hundreds of trailhead sign-in logs to transform information penciled in by hikers into sophisticated maps that could help manage, protect and market New York's 6-million-acre Adirondack Park.
The overall goal is to develop a comprehensive computer-based map system containing information about the plants, animals, land, water, roads, buildings and other aspects of the park to inform the land-use planning required by state law to protect the Adirondacks.
"Knowing how recreational use distributes across the park can help us make more fine-tuned decisions about how to reach sustainability in the Adirondacks in terms of community development, recreation management and tourism," said Abigail Larkin, a doctoral student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry who's leading the trail project.
The Department of Environmental Conservation will use the digitized trail-use data in land-management decisions.
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