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
Niskayuna
Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Legacy Podcast
What does it take to protect six million acres of wild Adirondack Park? In this podcast episode, ADK Talks sits down with David Gibson, conservation leader and author of A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions.
Gibson takes listeners deep into the remarkable story of Paul Schaefer, the man who rallied hunters, anglers, labor unions, conservationists, and everyday citizens into powerful coalitions that forever changed the fate of the Adirondacks, preserving its wilderness and beauty for generations to come. [Read more…] about Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Legacy Podcast
Bald Eagle Rescued From Erie Canal Lock; Rattlesnake Rescued from Home
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) made two notable wildlife rescues recently, including a eastern timber rattlesnake in Delaware County, and a bald eagle in Schenectady County. [Read more…] about Bald Eagle Rescued From Erie Canal Lock; Rattlesnake Rescued from Home
Dave Gibson Pens First Biography of Conservationist Paul Schaefer
A staunch advocate for the Adirondack Park, activist and writer Paul Schaefer deeply influenced conservation policy in New York State. His work and writing inspired countless conservationists, with his tireless efforts paving the way for the protection of “forever wild” forests in the Wilderness Act of 1964. Until his death in 1996, Schaefer continued to strive to instill the same care for the Adirondacks in the next generation.
Among that next generation is David Gibson, who is the current managing partner of Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve and the former executive director of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, groups founded and led respectively by Schaefer. Gibson has written the first biography of Schaefer, A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions (Syracuse university Press, 2025). [Read more…] about Dave Gibson Pens First Biography of Conservationist Paul Schaefer
Glens Falls Women’s March Saturday Honors Almanack Friend Enid Mastrianni
On Saturday, January 18, 2025, a Glens Falls Women’s March bring together the community in demonstration of solidarity and action.
This event, held in conjunction with the national People’s March, will highlight the ongoing fight for equality, justice, and inclusion for all. The event also honors the late Enid Mastrianni, a longtime organizer and dear friend of the New York Almanack. [Read more…] about Glens Falls Women’s March Saturday Honors Almanack Friend Enid Mastrianni
$600,000 in Mohawk River Watershed Grants Awarded
$600,000 in grants have been awarded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to implement the goals and objectives of the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda 2021-2026. The Action Agenda is a five-year plan advancing efforts to conserve, preserve, and restore the Mohawk River and its watershed and the grants will support local partnerships and initiatives throughout the region. [Read more…] about $600,000 in Mohawk River Watershed Grants Awarded
Vischer Ferry As A Summer Resort
At the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century, Vischer Ferry, a hamlet of Clifton Park in Saratoga County on the Mohawk River, was the destination of many picnickers and tourists.
People came from Schenectady, Albany, Troy, Cohoes and even New York City to spend a day, a week, a month or the complete summer in the healthful climate and beautiful surroundings of Vischer Ferry. As quiet 120 years ago as it is today, the village was an ideal spot to escape from the noise and turmoil of the city. [Read more…] about Vischer Ferry As A Summer Resort
Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation
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
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
Schenectady County Erie Canal History Events Set
New York State is celebrating the bicentennial of the Erie Canal’s creation this year with a campaign to “Reimagine the Canal.”
A series of conversations focused on economic and environmental sustainability of the historical Mohawk river towns will be held in Schenectady County beginning March 8th. [Read more…] about Schenectady County Erie Canal History Events Set
Adirondack Environmental History Going Online
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