History, Natural History & the Arts
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
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
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.
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
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