New York Almanack

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Adirondack Park

Elk Lake Lodge Owner Appointed To Chair Adirondack Park Agency Board

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APA Building in Ray Brook NYNYS Governor Kathy Hochul has selected business owner and philanthropist John Ernst as the new chair of the Adirondack Park Agency board. The last person to serve as APA chair was Karen Feldman of Hudson, NY, who resigned in May of 2019.

Ernst owns and operates Elk Lake Lodge in North Hudson, Essex County.  He also owns a home in New York City.  Like Feldman, Ernst was initially appointed to one of three APA board positions reserved for state residents who reside outside of the park boundary.  The APA board has five seats for park residents and three more reserved for state officials, for a total of 11. [Read more…] about Elk Lake Lodge Owner Appointed To Chair Adirondack Park Agency Board

Adirondack Council Releases 2021 ‘State of the Park Report’

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2021 state of the parkThe remote, peaceful and serene wilderness areas of the Adirondack Park have become a place of refuge for millions of New Yorkers and others seeking a respite from the troubles of a rapidly changing world, according to the Adirondack Council’s annual State of the Park report. [Read more…] about Adirondack Council Releases 2021 ‘State of the Park Report’

The Devil’s Due: Adirondack Gentrification & Environmental Justice (Part 1: Displacement)

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Raquette Lake Rockets 1972“Just close the fucking thing.”

These words of quiet despair were uttered twenty years ago in the aftermath of a meeting at the Raquette Lake School, whose imminent demise was increasingly apparent to the people of the village. The atmosphere at the Tap Room, the unofficial community center where attendees had decamped to face the inevitable over a beer, was raw.

The man who issued the fatal prognosis relished it neither as a parent nor an alumnus. But the writing was on the wall. Pupils had dwindled to single digits, too few for a play or a baseball team, never mind the district budget for utilities, maintenance, transportation and salaries. With no babies on the horizon, the current crop of children would age out, and there would soon be none left to educate. [Read more…] about The Devil’s Due: Adirondack Gentrification & Environmental Justice (Part 1: Displacement)

Dedicated Forest Ranger Academy Announced

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Forest Ranger truck provided by Adirondack WildFor the first time, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Ranger training will be held at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) campus in the hamlet of Wanakena in the Adirondacks.

For decades, Forest Ranger recruits have had to share a training academy with Environmental Conservation Office recruits, where law enforcement and policing became the training emphasis. The two positions are very related, but also very distinct. [Read more…] about Dedicated Forest Ranger Academy Announced

The End of Arbitrary Powers to Dam Adirondack Rivers

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Assemblyman John Ostrander, chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on River Regulation, left, with Paul Schaefer, center, representing Friends of the Forest Preserve and the Adirondack Moose River CommitteeThe State Legislature has just adjourned, but on a good many nights this past month I grew sleepy watching legislative TV or legislative proceedings on the internet. For the non-debate pieces of legislation, meaning when the legislative majority is not allowing minority debate on bills, the viewer is treated to the following exchanges in a monotone, one after the other:

The speaker or his representative, or the Senate president or her representative: “The clerk will read the bill.”  The clerk: “a bill to” …whatever it does.  The speaker or his representative: “The clerk will read the final section.” The clerk: “this act shall take effect immediately.” The speaker, president or their representative: “The vote: 63 in favor. The bill is passed.” All of that has taken less than ten seconds. Next. [Read more…] about The End of Arbitrary Powers to Dam Adirondack Rivers

An Interview With Brad Edmondson On Adirondack History

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wild ideaThe most recent episode of “Empire State Engagements” features a conversation with author Brad Edmondson about his book A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks (Three Hills/Cornell University Press, 2021).  [Read more…] about An Interview With Brad Edmondson On Adirondack History

Hinckley Reservoir Will Become A Campground

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Hinckley Reservoir Day Use AreaThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has finalized the Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Hinckley Reservoir Day Use Area, located on the south shore of the 2,880-acre Hinckley Reservoir in Herkimer County.

Once the UMP is implemented, the Hinckley Reservoir Day Use Area is expected to be transformed into the only public campground in the Southwestern Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Hinckley Reservoir Will Become A Campground

The Environmental Movement That Tamed Adirondacks

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a wild ideaBook purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks (Cornell University Press, 2021) by Brad Edmondson shares the story of the difficult birth of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). [Read more…] about The Environmental Movement That Tamed Adirondacks

Barbara Linell Glaser Named ‘Conservationist of the Year’

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Adirondack CouncilThe Adirondack Council will present its Conservationist of the Year Award to Barbara Linell Glaser, EdD, during the organization’s Forever Wild Day celebration on July 9th at Great Camp Sagamore, near the Adirondack hamlet of Raquette Lake. [Read more…] about Barbara Linell Glaser Named ‘Conservationist of the Year’