The Adirondack Park Agency Board approved two projects and voted that proposed best management practices to control invasive species on New York State Department of Environmental Conservation administered lands inside the Adirondack Park conformed to the State Land Master Plan at its September 15th, 2022 meeting. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Agency Meeting Highlights
St Lawrence County
NNY Wildlife Management Areas Opening August 16th
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the annual opening to the public of otherwise restricted Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties from Tuesday, August 16th, to Wednesday, August 31st.
During the 16-day open house, Upper and Lower Lakes and Wilson Hill WMAs in St. Lawrence County, including the posted refuge or wetland restricted areas, will be open to visitors each day from sunrise to sunset. Perch River WMA in Jefferson County will also be open to visitors with one exception-Perch Lake will be open daily from noon to sunset. [Read more…] about NNY Wildlife Management Areas Opening August 16th
Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s refusal to negotiate legislation to curb climate change will harm New York’s Adirondack Park as well as the growing clean-manufacturing economy in nearby Plattsburgh, according to the Adirondack Council.
The Council called on New York State government to intensify its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and called on the state’s voters to approve the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act on the ballot November 8th. [Read more…] about Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs
St Lawrence Rock Ridge: Comments Sought on Management of 15 State Forests
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for St. Lawrence Rock Ridge is out for public comment through April 30th.
The 21,575-acre St. Lawrence Rock Ridge planning unit is located in southwestern St. Lawrence County towns of DeKalb, Depeyster, Edwards, Fowler, Gouverneur, Hammond, Hermon, Macomb, Pitcairn, and Rossie, and in the northeastern Lewis County town of Diana. [Read more…] about St Lawrence Rock Ridge: Comments Sought on Management of 15 State Forests
“Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad
The St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railroad, also known as the Mohawk & Malone – eventually owned by the New York Central and called the Adirondack Line or the Adirondack Railroad ran directly through the Adirondacks from Herkimer (near Utica) to Malone connecting the rail lines along the Mohawk River to the Main Trunk Line running into Montreal. The line is often attributed to William Seward Webb, but it was the men who actually built the line that are the subject of this essay.
On March 29, 1892 a Boston Globe article titled “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks” reported that Utica “resembled Washington during war times, hundreds of penniless and destitute Negroes are camped out tonight in the temporary places of shelter given them, and the citizens of Utica are consulting as to the best means of returning them to their homes.”
The Globe told readers that all night, “runaway slaves” had been coming into town. One hundred and fifty of them, mostly black laborers from the Deep South, but some recently arrived European immigrants as well. [Read more…] about “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad
A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State
In the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.
“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State
New Road To Open Access To St. Lawrence County Wild Areas
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the amendment of the Kildare Conservation Easement and the Five Mile Conservation Easement Recreation Management Plans (RMPs) to include new opportunities for public access to recreation in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about New Road To Open Access To St. Lawrence County Wild Areas
New Glasby Creek Footbridge Installed
A 30-year-old footbridge in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the town of Fine, St. Lawrence County has been replaced. The newly installed Glasby Creek footbridge is located on the High Falls Loop Trail, which is part of the popular Cranberry Lake 50 trail system. [Read more…] about New Glasby Creek Footbridge Installed
Brasher State Forest Bridge Replacement Complete
There is a new bridge over Redwater Brook on Brasher State Forest in St. Lawrence County. The four-week bridge replacement project removed existing culverts and replaced them with a new engineered bridge. [Read more…] about Brasher State Forest Bridge Replacement Complete
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