History, Natural History & the Arts
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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
When John Hendrickson, the widow of recently deceased Saratoga civic and philanthropic leader Marylou Whitney, announced last July that the 36,000-acre Whitney Park lands were for sale an alarm was raised by advocates for wild lands concerned the sale would subdivide one of the largest privately held contiguous properties in the Adirondack Park.
Last week, Hendrickson said he will apply to the Adirondack Park Agency to do just that – fragment the tract into eleven estate lots for the uber-wealthy. [Read more…] about 36k Acres in the Adirondack Park Faces Development; Advocates Seek Legal Protection
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comments on Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for proposed management actions to the Fish Creek Pond Public Campground Unit Management Plan (UMP). [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Fish Creek Pond Campground Changes
The New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, has issued a 4-2 decision today in favor of Protect the Adirondacks that upheld Article 14, Section 1, of the New York State Constitution, the famed “forever wild” clause.
In 2013, Protect the Adirondacks sued the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Adirondack Park Agency (APA) alleging that construction of “Class II Community Connector” snowmobile trails on the Adirondack Forest Preserve violated Article 14, Section 1, due to excessive tree cutting and destructive changes to the land. [Read more…] about NY’s Highest Court Rules Big Snowmobile Trails On Forest Preserve Violate Constitution
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA), a New York State government agency created in 1971 by the State Legislature to develop long-range public and private land use plans for the Adirondack Park, has issued an annual report for 2020. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Agency Issues 2020 Annual Report
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comments on Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for proposed amendments to the Hinckley Day Use Area Unit Management Plan (UMP). [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Expanding Hinckley Day Use Area
Many years ago I paddled past what appeared to be many rather unnatural clearings on Long Pond in the St. Regis Canoe Area. Here and there, partially underwater, I saw a piece of water pipe or an old rusty dock support. They are the remains of tent platform sites.
These camps on “forever wild” New York State Adirondack Forest Preserve lands were built with leases to private individuals. [Read more…] about Tent Platforms: A History of Personal Forest Preserve Leases
The Adirondack Council today urged the Adirondack Park Agency to substantially modify or reject two permit requests for poorly-sited cell towers near the Hamilton County communities of Indian Lake and Inlet.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has never denied a request for a cell tower permit. [Read more…] about Adirondack Council: Plan For Poorly Sited Cell Towers Should Be Revised
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have announced a 60-day joint public comment period on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for the Debar Mountain Complex (DMC) Draft Unit Management Plan and a proposal to reclassify approximately 41 acres of the Wild Forest as Intensive Use.
The plan would also demolish and remove a rustic 1940s Adirondack camp at the north end of Debar Pond that is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Removal of Historic Adirondack Camp
The NYS Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are holding a joint public comment period on plans to tear down a rustic 1940s Adirondack camp at the north end of Debar Pond that is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The camp commands a view of DeBar Pond and the adjacent mountains which frame the water. The main lodge is a rambling two-story rustic building by architect Saranac Lake architect William Distin. The site also includes a guide/caretaker house, and several barns and outbuildings. [Read more…] about State Proposes Removal of Historic DeBar Lodge Great Camp For Day Use Area