The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has announced they are accepting public comment regarding Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for proposed amendments to the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center Unit Management Plan. The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has proposed new management actions to increase public accessibility, improve user safety and enhance recreational experiences. The APA will accept public comments until April 11th, 2022. [Read more…] about Whiteface Mountain Ski Center Management Plan Comments Sought
APA
Public Comments Sought On Boat Decontamination Facilities
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have announced a joint public comment period to solicit comments for a proposed amendment to the Generic Unit Management Plan/Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Campgrounds and Day-Use Areas.
The Generic UMP provides information on the environmental setting, inventory of facilities, organizational structure, issues, constraints, management objectives, and effects for Campgrounds and Day-Use Areas in both the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. [Read more…] about Public Comments Sought On Boat Decontamination Facilities
ADK Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
Environment Ranks High in New York’s 2023 Budget
New York Governor Kathy Hochul released her Executive Budget proposal in mid-January, and there was a lot to celebrate for the Adirondacks. She proposed an increased Environmental Protection Fund from $300 million to $400 million and a $4 billion environmental bond act. While the proposals are good, the Adirondack Council would still like to see $500,000 for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, $500,000 for visitor use management framework, and $6 million for an updated Adirondack Lakes Survey included in the final budget. The Council and many other environmental groups are also calling for $10 million for trails and education. [Read more…] about ADK Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
The First Major Test at APA for Governor Hochul & Chairman Ernst
Will the new boss be the same as the old boss?
We’ll know the answer to this question when the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) meets on January 13-14th. On its agenda is a draft permit for a new granite quarry in White Lake in the town of Forestport in the Western Adirondacks.
This project is widely opposed by neighboring landowners, residents, and property owners in the general area. There have been very few private land development projects in the last two decades that have engendered such a high level of public involvement and concern. [Read more…] about The First Major Test at APA for Governor Hochul & Chairman Ernst
Peter Bauer: DEC’s Revised Approach to Forest Preserve Long Overdue
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has organized a working group to assist the department in revising and amending a series of policies for New York State Forest Preserve trails stewardship. The DEC organized this working group through the membership of the longstanding Forest Preserve Advisory Committee (FPAC). The working group includes members from trails building organizations, local government, and the environmental community.
The Department stressed that this is a unified management effort for the entire Forest Preserve, and the working group includes members from the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: DEC’s Revised Approach to Forest Preserve Long Overdue
Elk Lake Lodge Owner Appointed To Chair Adirondack Park Agency Board
NYS 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 Park Agency Should Embrace Transparency
Recently, we saw news that Governor Kathy Hochul has instructed state agencies to develop and submit plans for greater transparency. As I wrote in a related piece, this is good news and welcome news.
I’ve watched over the decades as state agencies have restricted more and more of what was once basic and easily accessible public information. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Agency Should Embrace Transparency
DEC Should Embrace Gov. Hochul’s Calls For Transparency
Last week, we saw news that Governor Kathy Hochul instructed state agencies to develop and submit plans for greater transparency. This is good news and welcome news. I’ve watched over the decades as state agencies have restricted more and more of what was once basic and easily accessible public information. [Read more…] about DEC Should Embrace Gov. Hochul’s Calls For Transparency
The Devil’s Due: Adirondack Gentrification & Environmental Justice (Part 1: Displacement)
“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)
Suggestions In Wake of Historic Adirondack Legal Decision
The May 4th, 2021, decision by the New York Court of Appeals ruled that Class II Community Connector Snowmobile Trails violated Article 14, Section 1, of the New York Constitution.
This ruling capped an eight-year legal challenge by Protect the Adirondacks against the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Adirondack Park Agency (APA). In the end, eight of the twelve judges who looked at the evidence found that Class II trails were unconstitutional. [Read more…] about Suggestions In Wake of Historic Adirondack Legal Decision