In 1775, only fifteen years had elapsed since the expulsion of the New France from Canada following the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The concentration of French power in the valley of the St. Lawrence had impressed upon the minds of colonial leaders the importance of Lake Champlain, of its tributary Lake George, and of the Hudson River, as forming a consecutive, if not continuous, water line of communications from the St. Lawrence River to the city of New York. [Read more…] about The Naval Campaign on Lake Champlain in 1775-1776
Essex County
Rangers Report Multiple Rescues of Lost, Injured Hikers
The most recent New York State Forest Rangers Report includes efforts to rescue more than a half dozen hikers lost or with knee or lower leg injuries in the Adirondacks and Catskills. [Read more…] about Rangers Report Multiple Rescues of Lost, Injured Hikers
Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
Lake George’s network of navigation buoys represents one of the lake’s most important safety systems, guiding thousands of boaters around hidden hazards every boating season.
From the main lake to the Narrows, buoys mark underwater rocks, shoals, channels and speed zones, helping boaters safely navigate one of New York’s most beautiful — and deceptively challenging — lakes. [Read more…] about Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
Forest Rangers Respond to Lost, Injured Outdoor Recreationists
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers responded to multiple backcountry incidents from August 18th through August 22nd. These included lost and injured hikers, stranded and injured boaters, an injured cliff jumper and more. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Respond to Lost, Injured Outdoor Recreationists
Seagle Festival Plans 250-Seat Theatre, Year-Round Campus
A planned year-round performing arts center for the southern Adirondacks has advanced a step or two further: the Seagle Festival (formally known as Seagle Music Colony) has been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the New York State Council on the Arts’ Capital Projects Fund. [Read more…] about Seagle Festival Plans 250-Seat Theatre, Year-Round Campus
Avalanche Pass Trail Reopens After Massive Landslide
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the reopening of the popular Avalanche Pass Trail in the High Peaks Wilderness Area in the Adirondack Park. In July 2025, intense rock and mud slides from Mount Colden swept across the width of the pass, making the trail unusable and temporarily flooded. DEC closed the trail, conducted an assessment of the damage, and began the trail work planning and approval processes to reopen Avalanche Pass. [Read more…] about Avalanche Pass Trail Reopens After Massive Landslide
Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
The fisher, once all but extinct in the Adirondacks, has now firmly re-established itself here. According to John Davis, an Essex County writer and activist affiliated with the New Mexico-based Rewilding Institute, the fisher is “a rewilding success story.” [Read more…] about Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
Historic Saranac Lake Opens Expanded Museum Campus
Members of Historic Saranac Lake (HSL) and contributors to the museum’s recent expansion project were at a ribbon cutting on August 15 at the newly refurbished the Trudeau Building.
Honorary Chair of the campaign, Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau was the guest of honor. Trudeau’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all practiced medicine in the new museum building at 118 Main Street in Saranac Lake. [Read more…] about Historic Saranac Lake Opens Expanded Museum Campus
1925’s Lighter Side of Political History
This stunt, certainly, would have been harder to pull off in the era before Photoshop and artificial intelligence:
“Amherst College students perpetuated a practical joke this afternoon when they sent out news stories and photographs showing United States Senator Frederick H. Gillett (1851-1935) minus his celebrated beard,” The Glens Falls Times reported on June 17, 1925. “Senator Gillett, found by newspaper correspondents, was still wearing the beard.” [Read more…] about 1925’s Lighter Side of Political History
Rangers Kept Busy With Wildfire & Adirondack, Catskills Rescues
New York State Forest Rangers and local emergency crews responded to ten incidents involving a wildland fire and backcountry wilderness rescues over the past week. The wildfire occurred in the Town of Webb, where crews used an inflatable boat to transport supplies and extinguish an unattended campfire that spread to 100 square feet. [Read more…] about Rangers Kept Busy With Wildfire & Adirondack, Catskills Rescues
A Common Adirondack Public and Private Stewardship
Keith McKeever, retiring Public Information Director at the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), accepted much-deserved recognition at their recent meeting for his many years of admirable public service. In his short acceptance remarks, Keith implored all listening “to hold the line” for the Adirondack Park’s open space.
Keith’s message, as I recall it, was that the goal of protecting private open space is connected quite directly to the goal of more community development including necessary infrastructure directed to the Park’s settled areas in Hamlet and Moderate Intensity Use areas. [Read more…] about A Common Adirondack Public and Private Stewardship
Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
This summer the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) finished a stream restoration at the Moss Road crossing of the North Branch Boquet River in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County, NY, by removing two old, undersized culverts to restore a natural river channel.
The culverts that had constricted the river and blocked fish for decades are now gone, and a natural channel carries the river through the road crossing. The project reconnected some 50 miles of Adirondack river and coldwater tributary habitat. [Read more…] about Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
125 Years Later: Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride to the Presidency
In September 1901, Theodore Roosevelt’s overnight journey from Mount Marcy through Newcomb and North Creek became one of the Adirondacks’ most consequential and well-remembered moments. [Read more…] about 125 Years Later: Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride to the Presidency
Pendragon Theatre’s $11 Million New Home
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that the Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake will receive an additional $750,000 state investment to close the final funding gap for the venue.
Earlier this year, the Governor announced the opening of Pendragon Theatre’s new downtown facility in Saranac Lake, with a value at more than $11 million. [Read more…] about Pendragon Theatre’s $11 Million New Home
Backcountry Rescue Surge: Axe Injury, Cascade Fall, Lost Party of 9, Many Unprepared
Between August 3 and August 9, 2026, New York State Forest Rangers responded to a surge of backcountry rescues, many due to inadequate gear, poor navigation skills, and physical exhaustion. The following Forest Ranger reports show how unpreparedness and unpredictable events can turn a fun hike into an emergency. Use the links to navigate to stories about that geographical area. [Read more…] about Backcountry Rescue Surge: Axe Injury, Cascade Fall, Lost Party of 9, Many Unprepared
High Peaks Avalanche Pass Trail Rebuild Underway
Last summer, heavy rain triggered a massive landslide on Mount Colden in the Adirondack High Peaks. The landslide dumped downed trees, rocks, and mud into Avalanche Pass. Since then, the trail through Avalanche Pass has been closed to hikers.
State and volunteer crews have been working this summer to clean up and rebuild the trail. [Read more…] about High Peaks Avalanche Pass Trail Rebuild Underway
More Than Books: The North Country Library System Story
Walking into any of the 32 libraries and reading centers across Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties, visitors find friendly staff and programs tailored to local communities.
Less visible is the organization making that possible: the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System (CEFLS). [Read more…] about More Than Books: The North Country Library System Story
Rangers Recover Body, Make Multiple Backcountry Rescues
New York State Forest Rangers recently participated in at least seven wilderness rescue missions across New York State, including on the Appalachian Trail and near Kaaterskill Falls; two hikers within an hour near Hurricane Mountain; and several in West Canada Lake Wilderness. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Body, Make Multiple Backcountry Rescues
First Adirondack Rail Trail User Survey Getting Underway
The Adirondack Rail Trail Association (ARTA) is asking trail users to participate in a visitor survey designed to measure the trail’s economic impact and identify how community members are using the trail.
Starting July 30 and continuing throughout the coming year, ARTA staff and volunteers will conduct surveys at trailheads and other locations along the 34-mile Adirondack Rail Trail. [Read more…] about First Adirondack Rail Trail User Survey Getting Underway
Some 1896 Lighter Side of Political History Anecdotes
In an era long ago, Republicans had a majority in the New York State Assembly. But Democrats were better at baseball. [Read more…] about Some 1896 Lighter Side of Political History Anecdotes