Some New York voters may be puzzled by a seemingly obscure question on their ballots this year about authorizing Nordic ski trails on protected land in the Adirondacks.

But what does this have to do with Dutchess County and mid-Hudson Valley residents and other voters who don't live in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park?

The only statewide referendum in the Nov. 4 election is asking voters to amend the state constitution to carve out 1,039 acres of "forever wild" forest land for an existing sports destination near Lake Placid. About a third of that property — up to 323 acres — would be used for ski trails, biathlon courses and other facilities while the rest would stay untouched.

It turns out this is essentially a constitutional cleanup.

The complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg dates ba

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