Forest Preserve

Suggestions In Wake of Historic Adirondack Legal Decision

July 20, 2021 by Peter Bauer Leave a Comment

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

Dedicated Forest Ranger Academy Announced

June 17, 2021 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

For the first time, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Ranger training will be held at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) campus in the hamlet of Wanakena in the Adirondacks.

For decades, Forest Ranger recruits have had to share a training academy with Environmental Conservation Office recruits, where law enforcement and policing became the training emphasis. The two positions are very related, but also very distinct. [Read more…] about Dedicated Forest Ranger Academy Announced

36k Acres in the Adirondack Park Faces Development; Advocates Seek Legal Protection

June 3, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

Permits Required for Peekamoose Blue Hole and Rondout Creek Areas

May 18, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released updated regulations for visitors to the Peekamoose Blue Hole and nearby Rondout Creek area in the Sundown Wild Forest, town of Denning, Ulster County.

DEC issued the regulations as part of an effort to protect this resource and promote sustainable use. The regulations are expected to help improve public safety and reduce environmental impacts in the area. [Read more…] about Permits Required for Peekamoose Blue Hole and Rondout Creek Areas

New State Land Purchase In Warren County Includes Climbing Access

May 13, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State has acquired 1,263 acres of land in the Warren County town of Johnsburg in the Southern Adirondacks. The parcel includes Huckleberry Mountain, an elongated peak that tops 2,400 feet, with spectacular cliffs on the ridge’s south and southwest face. The parcel is now part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, and is expected to become part of the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest.

In 1911 Huckleberry Mountain was proposed as a site for a massive dam.

NY’s Highest Court Rules Big Snowmobile Trails On Forest Preserve Violate Constitution

May 4, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

John Warren Talks Adirondacks On The Historians Podcast

April 2, 2021 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

This week on The Historians Podcast, how the Adirondack forest preserve was motorized, snowmobiling, and more. The guest is John Warren, founder and editor of New York Almanack. [Read more…] about John Warren Talks Adirondacks On The Historians Podcast

Adirondack Park Inholding Protected, Closing Forest Preserve Gap

March 10, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Adirondack Land Trust has purchased 60 acres surrounded by the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest, closing a gap in the New York State Forest Preserve. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Inholding Protected, Closing Forest Preserve Gap

Tent Platforms: A History of Personal Forest Preserve Leases

February 10, 2021 by Mike Prescott 2 Comments

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

How The Adirondack Forest Preserve Was Motorized

February 4, 2021 by John Warren 4 Comments

The establishment of the Adirondack Forest Preserve in 1885 was part of growing American appreciation of a back to nature ethic. By the time of the First World War, according to historian Paul Sutter: “Americans produced and consumed voluminous literature on natural and wild themes; they built vacation homes and camps; they initiated a wide variety of programs in scouting and woodcraft; they developed a distinctive hunting culture and ethos; they adopted nature study as a prominent hobby; and the embraced the ‘strenuous life’ that could be found only in the ‘great outdoors.’” [Read more…] about How The Adirondack Forest Preserve Was Motorized