The nonprofit advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve will host its Annual Meeting of Members and Friends at on Friday October 6, 2023, at Newcomb’s Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in the Adirondacks in Essex County, NY. [Read more…] about Adirondack Wild Annual Meeting Set, Awardees Named
Adirondack Diversity Initiative
Ceremony To Celebrate Renaming Adirondack Stream in Honor of Black Settler
On Saturday, September 16th at noon there will be a public unveiling of a historic roadside marker to celebrate the recent naming of John Thomas Brook. The new name pays homage to 19th-century Black settler John Thomas.
Thomas escaped enslavement in Maryland and established a successful farm near the small stream in Vermontville that was formerly known pejoratively as “N***** Brook,” then as “Negro Brook.” Thomas, his wife Mary, and their son, Richard, are buried in Union Cemetery in Vermontville, in Franklin County, NY. [Read more…] about Ceremony To Celebrate Renaming Adirondack Stream in Honor of Black Settler
Adirondack Council Identifies NYS Budget Priorities
The Adirondack Council called on the New York lawmakers to prioritize wilderness preservation, climate protection measures, clean air across the state and incentives that boost diversity in the Adirondack Park’s workforce, visitors and residents, in its testimony on Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY2023/24 budget proposal. [Read more…] about Adirondack Council Identifies NYS Budget Priorities
New Director for Adirondack Diversity Initiative
The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has announced the hire of the new director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI). Tiffany Rea-Fisher, who has extensive leadership experience in the arts, activism and community organizing, will be the second director of ADI, an ANCA program that aims to make the Adirondack region a more welcoming and inclusive place for residents and visitors. [Read more…] about New Director for Adirondack Diversity Initiative
Adirondack Advocates, Officials, Seek Reuse of State Prison
Leaders of Adirondack environmental organizations joined with local elected officials Tuesday to urge Governor Kathy Hochul not to mothball the former Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility in Essex County, NY, as is planned by December 31, but instead to reuse it to bolster conservation and boost employment.
The leaders said there were several possible options that would bring new life to the structure. Reuse would help a small Adirondack community recover from the job losses and lost business opportunities associated with the closure of a state institution, they said. They also pointed to several recent state initiatives that would benefit from an additional state building in the Adirondacks, from which to offer training and housing. [Read more…] about Adirondack Advocates, Officials, Seek Reuse of State Prison
Adirondack Diversity Initiative Director Steps Down
The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has announced that Nicole Hylton-Patterson is stepping down from her role as director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative after nearly three years heading the program.
ANCA said it convene a hiring committee made up of members of the economic development organization’s board and staff, as well as ADI Core Team members, to conduct a search for a new director. Hylton-Patterson’s final day as ADI Director is Friday, October 14th, 2022. [Read more…] about Adirondack Diversity Initiative Director Steps Down
Adirondack Diversity Initiative Offers Policing Program
In a letter to all law enforcement and local government officials in the Adirondack region, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) announced its Community Policing Initiative, designed to help local law enforcement meet the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements of Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 203: New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. [Read more…] about Adirondack Diversity Initiative Offers Policing Program
Adirondack Diversity Director Receives Stewardship Award
Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve has awarded Nicole “Nicky”’ Hylton-Patterson, the executive director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, their 2020 Wild Stewardship Award in recognition of her initiating and elevating difficult conversations about race, shared power, and influence in the Adirondack region over the past year. [Read more…] about Adirondack Diversity Director Receives Stewardship Award
Adirondack Black History Virtual Programs In August
North Country Community College, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and the Adirondack North Country Association are collaborating to present a series of timely and necessary online programs that shine light on Black History in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Adirondack Black History Virtual Programs In August
Adirondack Anti-racism Online “Listen-in” Series
Thousands have gathered for peaceful protests across Northern New York in recent weeks, as people and communities seek ways to engage in the broader national movement for racial justice.
In response, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI), in partnership with the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), will host a series of virtual “Listen-in” and “Teach-in” sessions focused on mobilizing the community on issues of racial equity and transformational justice in America. [Read more…] about Adirondack Anti-racism Online “Listen-in” Series