By Erin Jerome
Visitors to Basswood Pond State Forest (click here) this season can enjoy a freshly cleared field with picnic tables and accessibility improvements completed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The 720-acre state park in Burlington Flats now has an open recreation area and wheelchair-friendly parking lot, fishing platform and trails, including one that leads to a waterfront lean-to.
The projects were completed with $100,000 granted through Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Adventure NY Initiative to connect more New Yorkers with nature. The park also has seven miles of multi-use trails.
DEC officials helped stock the pond with brown and rainbow trout after a ribbon cutting Tuesday. Five hundred fish are stocked in the 15-acre pond each year.
“We don't want to leave any kids inside,” said Kathy Moser, DEC deputy commissioner for natural resources. "We want to get them thinking about hunting and fishing and trapping."...
