BERNE ECOTOURISM

• This was a beaver dam at one time. Later the State made a small earthen dam to stabilize the pond. A beaver dam is now located just above this pond. New ponds are located in Partridge Run Wildlife Mgt. area along Fawn Lake Road near Berne, New York. Photo by Charles Sloger, Oct. 2008. Here is a link to more of his incredibly beautiful photos.
• Partidge Run is one of several Berne Natural History areas open to the public in for hiking, photography, picnicking, etc. 
  
• Eco-tourism - getting tourists to come to the hill towns for the beauty of the countryside: hiking, biking, caving, visiting old cemeteries, trails to historic ruins, taking pictures, admiring our historic hamlets. It is a low impact way to help the local economy and encourage preservation of farmlands, scenery, historic homes and hamlets. Tourists need guest houses, B & B's, campgrounds, and picnic sites. To further that end I have created a new Albany Hilltowns Ecotourism Facebook Group. You don't need to belong to Facebook to check out the group. While there, click on the "Wall" tab. There are a couple of exciting proposals. If you support our goals, we would love to have you join us.
• The town of Berne is updating its comprehensive plan.  The Comprehensive Plan committee meets on December 2 at the Berne Town Hall. While they already have a full agenda, they do allow time for public comment. Here are proposals for them to consider:
  
  Whereas Eco-tourism is a low impact way to encourage tourism in the town and would be a benefit to the economy of the town:
  
  

1. The planning and construction of scenic trails for use by hikers, bikers, horseback riding, fisherman, photographers, cross country runners, etc is encouraged. In the fall they might be used by hunters; in the winter by cross country skiers and snow mobiles.
   
2. Landowners whose land a trail crosses or who live within 1000 feet of a trail are encouraged to build facilities along such trails to benefit users of the trails and to charge for their use: tent camping sites, toilet facilities, picnic tables, fire pits.
   
3. In any district of the town landowners may take in guests in existing buildings using existing bedrooms and advertise as either a Guest House (no breakfast), or a Bed and Breakfast.
4. With special permits, landowners in agricultural districts may build up to five cabins to rent to tourists, and to build facilities for use by up to five recreation vehicle campers.

Someone from the town would need to present this proposal for discussion.