Kelly Adirondack Center

St. Francis’ Peace Prayer & Paul Schaefer’s Early Writing

October 2, 2026 by David Gibson 2 Comments

This October 4th, the Feast Day of St. Francis, the world commemorates 800 years since the Saint’s death in 1226. Every day I pass our living room where, prominently framed on our wall, is a copy of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, a famous Christian prayer that seeks to make the speaker an instrument of peace, love, and understanding.

This version of Francis’ peace prayer was printed in calligraphy and gifted to many by Adirondack wilderness conservationist Paul Schaefer (1908-1996). [Read more…] about St. Francis’ Peace Prayer & Paul Schaefer’s Early Writing

Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words

August 3, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Jeanne Robert Foster (1879-1970) was an American occultist, Theosophist, poet, fashion model, journalist and social worker from the Adirondack Mountains. A disciple of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), she was also known by the magical name Sister Hilarion.

Foster’s friends included many of the period’s leading authors and artists. She is buried next to her friend John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), the painter and father of William Butler Yeats, in the Foster family plot in Chestertown, NY. [Read more…] about Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words

Mallard Ducks: An Environmental History Leading to Decline

February 10, 2026 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Most people in New York when asked to picture a duck, they’re thinking of an eastern mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) – the green head, the quack, the pond. But just 90-100 years ago, mallards were not known to breed in New York State. Since the ban of live decoys in the 1930s, mallards have been released and taken over as the preeminent duck of the northern Atlantic Flyway.

After all-time highs in the early 2000s however, we have seen significant declines in eastern mallards. [Read more…] about Mallard Ducks: An Environmental History Leading to Decline

Carl George: Scientist, Adirondack Advocate & Poet

January 2, 2026 by David Gibson Leave a Comment

Carl George, Professor Emeritus at the Biology Department of Union College, died in December at age 95, leaving his wife Christine, and legions of friends at Union College, and around the world. [Read more…] about Carl George: Scientist, Adirondack Advocate & Poet

Dalton-Loines Family Papers Recall Lake George Preservation

October 19, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Dalton-Loines Family Papers reflect a family’s commitment to preserving nature through generations and exemplifies the role women took in grassroots environmentalism during the 20th century.

The papers consist mainly of materials that focus on the family’s lake houses in the Northwest Bay of Lake George. [Read more…] about Dalton-Loines Family Papers Recall Lake George Preservation

Contemporary Iroquois Art Program in Schenectady Thursday

September 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Rooted in the past but invested in the future, Iroquois art contains references to stories, values, history, cultural identity and the nearly insurmountable challenge of maintaining traditions in the face of change and assimilation. [Read more…] about Contemporary Iroquois Art Program in Schenectady Thursday

Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation

July 29, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Schenectady has a long history of its residents being active in conservation and outdoor recreation – in Schenectady County and in the wilderness of the North Country, alike.

Schenectadians’ interest in protecting and exploring wilderness has its roots in the mid 1800s with industrialization and westward expansion. The wilderness was at risk of disappearing, and influential nature lovers used their writings to convince Americans that preserving land and wildlife was vital. Many Americans, including people in Schenectady, could easily see the case for this. [Read more…] about Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation

The Volunteers Behind the Adirondack Research Library

February 22, 2022 by David Gibson Leave a Comment

Many organizations introduce their work with the words “were it not for the volunteers, we could not…” That can be justifiably said of the Adirondack Research Library (ARL), formerly part of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks (AfPA). [Read more…] about The Volunteers Behind the Adirondack Research Library

Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies Call for Submissions

January 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies (AJES) is now accepting submissions for Volume 25. Articles of a broad disciplinary scope will be accepted for review, including topics in natural and social sciences, arts and humanities related to the region or more general environmental issues. [Read more…] about Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies Call for Submissions

Prisons, Environment, and Race in the Adirondack Park

October 2, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Since the 1840s, the Adirondack environment has proven a pivotal factor in the planning, construction, and operation of prisons in New York State.

Clarence Jefferson Hall Jr. will analyze this phenomenon with a special focus on the role of incarcerated people of color in shaping — and reshaping — the Adirondack landscape during “Prisons, Environment, and Race in the Adirondack Park,” a webinar on October 14th. [Read more…] about Prisons, Environment, and Race in the Adirondack Park

Anne LaBastille: Trailblazer and Hell Raiser

December 17, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Kelly Adirondack Center and UCALL have announced Anne LaBastille: Trailblazer and Hell Raiser, a webinar exploring the life and legacy of Adirondack Woodswoman author and internationally recognized conservationist Anne LaBastille set for Thursday, February 18th, at 7 pm. [Read more…] about Anne LaBastille: Trailblazer and Hell Raiser

Adirondack Wild Presents 2020 Wilderness Award

November 19, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve has presented its 2020 Paul Schaefer Wilderness Award, the organization’s highest honor, to Kevin Chlad, Director of Government Relations for the Adirondack Council with offices in Elizabethtown and in Albany. [Read more…] about Adirondack Wild Presents 2020 Wilderness Award

Adk Journal of Environmental Studies Submissions Sought

June 20, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies (AJES) has announced it is now accepting submissions for Volume 24, to be published in the spring of 2021.

Articles of a broad disciplinary scope will be accepted for review, including topics in natural and social sciences, arts and humanities related to the region or more general environmental issues. [Read more…] about Adk Journal of Environmental Studies Submissions Sought

Adirondack Great Camps, Rustic Tradition Talk Near Schenectady

October 15, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State’s Adirondack Park, a six-million-acre mixture of public and private lands, is the largest park east of the Mississippi River. Sixty percent of the region’s lands are constitutionally protected as “forever wild” and these lands include vast forests, hundreds of mountains, thousands of lakes and ponds, and miles of wild and scenic rivers.

During the late 19th century, the region became a mecca for sportsmen and other people seeking recreation and revitalization in the wild places of the region. In response to this, native builders and professional architects developed a rustic style of architecture that is best represented by a series of building complexes known as Great Camps. [Read more…] about Adirondack Great Camps, Rustic Tradition Talk Near Schenectady

Rare Fish Expert To Present Adirondack Fisheries History

March 11, 2019 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Lisa Holst, Rare Fish Unit Leader in the Bureau of Fisheries at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will present “Adirondack Fish Stories” on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 in Reamer Auditorium, at Union College. Refreshments will be served at 5 pm, with the presentation at 5:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public. [Read more…] about Rare Fish Expert To Present Adirondack Fisheries History

Adirondack Environmental History Going Online

April 8, 2014 by Anthony F. Hall 3 Comments

Governor Al Smith helped block the construction of a highway along the shore of Tongue Mountain, but it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who was instrumental in protecting the east shore of Lake George, documents in the Apperson-Schaefer collection at the Kelly Adirondack Center at Union College in Schenectady suggest.

With funding from the bond acts of 1916 and 1926, much of Tongue Mountain and many of the islands in the Narrows were now protected, permanently, as parts of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

But by 1926, John Apperson, the General Electric engineer who dedicated much of his life to the protection of Lake George, had become concerned about the future of the east side. [Read more…] about Adirondack Environmental History Going Online

Lectures on Adirondack History Planned in Niskayuna

March 27, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Kelly Adirondack Center in Niskayuna, NY has announced an upcoming four-part lunch and learn series, “People in the Wilderness” with Hallie Bond.

Bond was at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake from 1983 until 2012, first as Education Director and then as Curator.

On April 7, the topic will be “Adirondack Life”. Before the automobile and good roads, Adirondack life ran in traditional channels, tied to the seasons and the land. Cash was scarce, and people worked at many different jobs. How Adirondackers used the woods to support themselves is essential to understanding Adirondack life today. [Read more…] about Lectures on Adirondack History Planned in Niskayuna

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