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
Forest Preserve
Report Concludes Cascade Mountain Trail Exceeding Capacity
A new study of one of the Adirondack Park’s most popular hiking trails into the High Peaks Wilderness Area shows that currently levels of use are degrading the trail and the sensitive ecosystem around it, creating unsustainable levels of damage according to the Adirondack Council. [Read more…] about Report Concludes Cascade Mountain Trail Exceeding Capacity
DEC: Some Camps Will Remain at Long Pond Easement
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and JT Granshue LLC have announced the completion of a modification to the Long Pond conservation easement, which is located in the towns of Colton and Clare, St. Lawrence County. The modification allows for 15 hunting, fishing, and recreation camps originally slated for removal to remain on the property in perpetuity. [Read more…] about DEC: Some Camps Will Remain at Long Pond Easement
Peter Bauer: 12 Ways Indian Lake Town Supervisor Brian Wells Gets The Historic Forever Wild Decision All Wrong
In an op-ed run in the Albany Times Union on August 1, 2021, and in the Adirondack Almanack, Town of Indian Lake Supervisor Brian Wells got many things wrong about the recent historic forever wild court decision.
He makes serious accusations, yet he twists, bends, and distorts reality to fit his narrative. The one thing that he got right was that “Class II Community Connector Snowmobile Trails” were struck down by New York’s highest court because they violated Article 14, Section 1, of the State Constitution, the forever wild clause.
Here are a dozen ways that Brian Wells plays fast and loose with the truth. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: 12 Ways Indian Lake Town Supervisor Brian Wells Gets The Historic Forever Wild Decision All Wrong
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
Dedicated Forest Ranger Academy Announced
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
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
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
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.
[Read more…] about New State Land Purchase In Warren County Includes Climbing Access
NY’s Highest Court Rules Big Snowmobile Trails On Forest Preserve Violate Constitution
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