Adirondack Wild

Debar Pond Lodge: History & Controversy

October 2, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

For the past 20 years – but increasingly over the past three years – state legislators, local and regional government officials, state agencies, environmental and economic development groups, and others have deliberated over the future of Debar Pond Lodge, which was built in about 1940.

The 10-bedroom lodge and support buildings are located on New York State “Forever Wild” Forest Preserve land in the Northern Adirondack Park town of Duane, Franklin County, and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Read more…] about Debar Pond Lodge: History & Controversy

Adirondack Wild Annual Meeting Set, Awardees Named

September 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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 Park Wetlands Project Approval Heading To Court

August 15, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On June 15, 2023, the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), which oversees large or environmentally sensitive developments in thee Adirondack Park, approved a variance application for a commercial marina located in and around wetlands in Crescent and Ampersand Bays on Lower Saranac Lake in the Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County.

Wetlands are critical to conserving water quality, mitigating flooding, and harboring fish and wildlife. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Wetlands Project Approval Heading To Court

Before There Were Motor-Free Lakes in the Adirondacks

July 25, 2023 by David Gibson 2 Comments

Although by 1973 Wilderness areas had been officially designated on about one million acres within the Adirondack Forest Preserve, the question of whether waterbodies within those million acres would be similarly free of use by motors was still highly uncertain. [Read more…] about Before There Were Motor-Free Lakes in the Adirondacks

Adirondack Park Advocates: APA Plans Curtail Public Input; Fast Track Decisions

April 13, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A staff proposal at the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) this month could eliminate two-thirds of oral public comment opportunities, restrict general written comments, and fast track APA policy decisions, according to Adirondack Park advocates. “These proposals should be rejected by the APA members in favor of greater transparency and respect for the public’s access and inputs to the APA,” a statement from Adirondack Wild said Wednesday. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Advocates: APA Plans Curtail Public Input; Fast Track Decisions

Incompetence? Adk Park Agency Loses 2nd Lawsuit Within A Week

March 12, 2023 by David Gibson Leave a Comment

Last April, Adirondack organizations wrote to the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) asking to rediscover their discretionary power to hold adjudicatory public hearings on particularly complex, controversial Adirondack land use projects.

There was no response to our joint letter, but a rather resounding response has just come from a member of our state’s judicial branch. [Read more…] about Incompetence? Adk Park Agency Loses 2nd Lawsuit Within A Week

Adirondack Park Lobby Day

March 8, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Nearly 100 people from 20 different Adirondack organizations met with 50 state legislators and their staff during Adirondack Park Lobby Day to advocate for funding and policy advancements for the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Lobby Day

10 Organizations Unite to Call for Adirondack Investments

December 23, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A coalition of 10 conservation and educational organizations has sent a letter to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul urging her upcoming State of the State message and Executive Budget proposal to advance investments and strengthened policies to improve the protection and management of the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about 10 Organizations Unite to Call for Adirondack Investments

Advocates: Adirondack Park Agency Withholding Documents

November 21, 2022 by Editorial Staff 3 Comments

The nonprofit advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve has been denied certain documents by the NYS Adirondack Park Agency (APA) which Adirondack Wild believes would shed light on the APA’s responsibilities to restrain public motorized uses within Wild Forest portions of the “forever wild” Adirondack Forest Preserve. [Read more…] about Advocates: Adirondack Park Agency Withholding Documents

Gibson: DEC & APA Should Reform Managing Adirondack Lakes and Ponds

November 5, 2022 by David Gibson 1 Comment

At Adirondack Wild’s October meeting at the Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, lakes and ponds came under the spotlight in a panel discussion about Cooperative Stewardship of Adirondack Lakes. Of particular interest was a given lake’s classification and subsequent comprehensive study, planning and management.

If Adirondack waterbodies are considered part of the Forest Preserve, and for the last fifty years the State Land Master Plan talks about land and water, then the law requires that lakes and ponds be classified, just as forests are. That raises important questions. [Read more…] about Gibson: DEC & APA Should Reform Managing Adirondack Lakes and Ponds