New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

development

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

by 1 Comment

Chad Dawson speaking at Paul Smith's VIC Oct. 2022At 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

Comments Sought On Western Lassiter Conservation Easement

by Leave a Comment

Beers Lot Easement map courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft recreation management plan (RMP) for the Western Lassiter Conservation Easements, in the town of Edwards, St. Lawrence County. The Western Lassiter Conservation Easement RMP consists of the 1,336-acre Beers Lot Conservation Easement and the 834-acre Pine Hill Conservation Easement.

The public comment period on the draft RMP is open until November 30th. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Western Lassiter Conservation Easement

Advocates: Adirondack Park Agency Should Comply With State Climate Goals

by 1 Comment

Protect the AdirondacksProtect the Adirondacks (PROTECT) has called upon the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) to include, as part of its permit application review, an evaluation of the direct and upstream greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the large-scale subdivision and resort complex proposed by Eric Stackman in the Town of Jay, Essex County.

This project is currently under review and does not have a complete application. The APA has issued two Notices of Incomplete Application to the developer. [Read more…] about Advocates: Adirondack Park Agency Should Comply With State Climate Goals

Nationally Significant Olmsted Landscapes Threatened

by Leave a Comment

Postcard of Andrew Jackson Downing Memorial Park courtesy Newburgh History Blog The Cultural Landscape Foundation today released Landslide 2022, an annual thematic report and exhibition about threatened and at-risk landscapes, focusing on twelve sites designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., and his successor firms, a founder of the discipline of landscape architecture best known as the co-designer of Central Park in New York City.

This year marks the bicentennial of the birth of Olmsted Sr. (1822-1903). The sites feature the involvement of one or more of all three Olmsteds: Olmsted Sr., his son Olmsted Jr. (1870-1957), and stepson John Charles Olmsted (1852-1920). [Read more…] about Nationally Significant Olmsted Landscapes Threatened

100 Yrs of NYC Planning Exhibit at Grand Central

by 1 Comment

The Constant FutureIn celebration of its centennial, the civic group Regional Plan Association has opened a free public exhibition in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. Designed by James Sanders Studio and curated by RPA, “The Constant Future: A Century of the Regional Plan” explores 100 years of New York City’s development from 1922 to the present day. The two-story display will be on view through October 24th. [Read more…] about 100 Yrs of NYC Planning Exhibit at Grand Central

Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms, Part 2

by Leave a Comment

“Visitor Use Management” Forest PreserveThe Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for development of a “Visitor Use Management” Plan for the Central High Peaks Wilderness Area in the Adirondack Park and the Kaaterskill Clove/Route 23A corridor of the Catskill Park.

The RFP marks a major step forward in DEC’s efforts to evaluate and address a series of impacts to the natural resources, the visitor experience, and public safety due to high recreational use in these two popular destinations on the New York State Forest Preserve. [Read more…] about Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms, Part 2

Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

by Leave a Comment

Notional Equipment LayoutAdirondack Council: Prohibit Private Weapons Testing in Adirondacks

The Adirondack Park Agency received an application for a private weapons testing range in the Town of Lewis earlier this year, while despite a perfectly functional and safe weapons range just outside of the Adirondack Park at Fort Drum. The Adirondack Council has called on the APA to develop a policy and hold a hearing on the proposal, which would lower property values, create dangerous conditions, and drastically impact the peace and quiet of the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

by Leave a Comment

NYSDEC Trail Work2022 may end up as the year some of the most important reforms in New York State Forest Preserve management were started, both in practice and in theory.

Forest Preserve management reform has been a long time coming as the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which is responsible for the care and custody of the Forest Preserve, has struggled for years with how to improve its overall management program.

Small changes have been attempted at various points, but no major reforms have been successfully brought to the DEC’s Forest Preserve management. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

Another Adirondack Resort Subdivision Proposed Without Conservation Design

by 2 Comments

Large Subdivision and Resort Development proposed, Oct 2021I just skimmed through Eric Stackman’s recent replies to the Adirondack Park Agency (available on the APA website). Stackman, a Miami, Florida developer, wants to construct a 120-lot resort subdivision in Jay, Essex County, above the East Branch of the Ausable River, apparently within sightlines near Whiteface Mountain, Askaard Farm and many other viewing locations. [Read more…] about Another Adirondack Resort Subdivision Proposed Without Conservation Design

The Adirondack Northway: Some History

by Leave a Comment

July 9, 1954 issue of the Lake George MirrorThe Adirondack Northway (I-87) made Lake George more accessible than any other resort area in the Northeast. So, it’s appropriate that the birth of the modern interstate highway system can be traced to Lake George; specifically, to the 46th Annual National Governor’s Conference, held July 11th to 13th, 1954, at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing.

To be precise, the Conference was the site not so much of the birth of the interstate highway system, but of the announcement of its birth. [Read more…] about The Adirondack Northway: Some History