The Adirondack Council’s Aaron Mair and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solage were recently on the Capitol Pressroom radio show out of Albany. Mair and Solage made the case for the state budget to include funding to create the Timbuctoo Summer Climate and Jobs Institute, which would provide job and environmental training to high school students who may not otherwise get much exposure to the Adirondacks. The effort would involve Medgar Evers College in New York City and the SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. [Read more…] about ADK Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
road salt
Salt Survey Being Conducted By Ausable River Association
The Ausable River Association’s (AsRA) has released a salt use survey for residents, businesses, and independent contractors in Lake Placid, with emphasis on Mirror Lake. Developed in partnership with the Adirondack Watershed Institute, the survey is essential to determining the amount of salt entering Mirror Lake and the Chubb River. [Read more…] about Salt Survey Being Conducted By Ausable River Association
ADK Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
Environment Ranks High in New York’s 2023 Budget
New York Governor Kathy Hochul released her Executive Budget proposal in mid-January, and there was a lot to celebrate for the Adirondacks. She proposed an increased Environmental Protection Fund from $300 million to $400 million and a $4 billion environmental bond act. While the proposals are good, the Adirondack Council would still like to see $500,000 for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, $500,000 for visitor use management framework, and $6 million for an updated Adirondack Lakes Survey included in the final budget. The Council and many other environmental groups are also calling for $10 million for trails and education. [Read more…] about ADK Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
Salt Survey Planned For Lake Placid, Chubb River Watershed
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) will distribute a salt use survey this winter to residents, businesses, and independent contractors in Lake Placid, Essex County, NY.
Developed with the Adirondack Watershed Institute, the survey hopes to determine the amount of salt entering Mirror Lake and the Chubb River. [Read more…] about Salt Survey Planned For Lake Placid, Chubb River Watershed
Gov Cuomo Signs Landmark Road Salt Bill into Law
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into law the Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act – a bipartisan bill that is expected to help reduce road salt pollution and protect drinking water in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Gov Cuomo Signs Landmark Road Salt Bill into Law
Local Governments Urge Governor Cuomo to Sign Road Salt Bill
Local Government leaders are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign into law a bi-partisan bill that would establish an Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force and Pilot Program.
The Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act (S.8663a/ A.8767a) passed the NYS Assembly unanimously and received broad bipartisan support in the NYS Senate earlier this year. Now, the bill’s fate lies in the hands of Governor Cuomo. [Read more…] about Local Governments Urge Governor Cuomo to Sign Road Salt Bill
2020 State of the Adirondack Park Report Issued
The Adirondack Council released its 2020-21 State of the Park report subtitled “Landscape of Hope,” noting that the park has become a place of refuge during the COVID-19 crisis, which has only increased the park’s popularity.
The report also notes that the state is beginning to make progress on addressing the overused trails and campsites of the High Peaks Wilderness Area, detailing what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. A third major focus of the report – taking up its entire center spread – is the pending sale of the 36,000-acre Whitney Estate in Long Lake, Hamilton County. [Read more…] about 2020 State of the Adirondack Park Report Issued
Road Salt Legislation Headed To Governor
The NYS Senate granted final legislative approval Thursday to a bi-partisan bill that is expected to help reduce road salt pollution and protect drinking water in the Adirondack Park. The Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act was passed in the NYS Assembly earlier this week and now heads to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Porcupines And Their Need For Salt
As the buds on hardwood trees and shrubs open and New York State’s forests again are cloaked in green, they provide our many herbivores with a welcome change in their diet.
While many plant eaters are able to subsist on woody buds and cellulose laden layers of inner bark throughout winter, leafy matter provides far greater levels of nourishment. The porcupine, a common denizen of the forest, is among our first order consumers of greens when they emerge in spring. [Read more…] about Porcupines And Their Need For Salt
An Adk Lake’s Sufferings: High Salt Load, 22 Less Days of Ice
Mirror Lake, along which the Village of Lake Placid is spread, is no longer flowing like it should, and has been iced-over an average of 22 days less since the 1990s. High concentrations of road salt and climate change are considered the culprits.
The lake has apparently stop its natural mixing in the spring, a issue first documented in 2017. During February and March of 2019, the highest chloride concentrations documented so far were observed. [Read more…] about An Adk Lake’s Sufferings: High Salt Load, 22 Less Days of Ice