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Washington County

The Adirondack Park Agency At 50: State Leaders Are Missing The Point

February 7, 2023 by David Gibson Leave a Comment

Gov. Nelson Rockefeller signs the APA ActWell, it’s happened again. Another state budget is proposed by the Executive, wherein the Adirondack Park Agency’s legislated job is mischaracterized by this Governor’s (and former governors’) budget divisions as working “to achieve a balance between strong environmental protection and sustainable economic development opportunities for the residents of the Adirondack Park” (2023 Executive Budget Briefing Book).

Balance is an important goal to strive for in our individual lives. However, nothing in the Adirondack Park Agency law, now reaching 50 years old in May, calls for “a balance between strong environmental protection and sustainable economic development.” That is merely an executive construct and interpretation that has been superimposed upon the law without legislative approval, most especially since Governor Andrew Cuomo began his first term in 2011, as in this example from that year: “The APA Act is a balance of the adverse resource impacts of the project with its potential benefits” (APA staff during the Adirondack Club and Resort public hearing). Many have stated similar “balancing” objectives since then.

The unstated assumption behind such a balance statement seems to be that natural resource protection and economic development are on a seesaw, oppositional in purpose and competing in nature, and therefore requiring a state referee to provide necessary balance. That is not what the APA Act is about. [Read more…] about The Adirondack Park Agency At 50: State Leaders Are Missing The Point

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Nature Tagged With: Adirondacks, Andrew Cuomo, APA, Clinton County, DEC, development, Economic Development, Environmental History, Essex County, Forest Preserve, Franklin County, Hugh Carey, Kathy Hochul, Legal History, Lewis County, Nelson Rockefeller, Oneida County, Political History, Saratoga County, St Lawrence County, Warren County, Washington County, wilderness

DEC Automates Day Use Sales for Lake George Islands

February 3, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the transition to automated, online sales for all day use permits at the islands on Lake George. [Read more…] about DEC Automates Day Use Sales for Lake George Islands

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: camping, DEC, Essex County, Lake George, Warren County, Washington County

Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

January 4, 2023 by Guest Contributor 10 Comments

Twin Bridges I-87 NorthwaySince it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: American Revolution, Army Corps of Engineers, Battle of Saratoga, Engineering History, Essex County, Fort Ticonderoga, Hudson River, I-87, Immigration, John Burgoyne, Lake Champlain, Lake George, Military History, Mohawk River, Mount Defiance, Polish History, Saratoga County, Schuylerville, Taddeus Kosciusko, Warren County, Washington County, Waterford, West Point

“Strange things about Mrs. Simeon Hays,” The Woman That Lived Without Eating

December 27, 2022 by John Warren 2 Comments

Chestertown and Horicon map 1858Night and day for three full weeks six well-dressed men would take shifts standing watch over Betsey Hays in her bed. They planned to stay with her two at a time in her one room cabin and make careful scientific notes.  For Betsey, who spent most of her time tormented by uncontrollable bodily contortions and seizures, it was something she was used to.

Over the past two years, thousands of people had come to Chestertown in Northern Warren County to stand over her as she suffered. [Read more…] about “Strange things about Mrs. Simeon Hays,” The Woman That Lived Without Eating

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Brant Lake, Chestertown, Glens Falls, Horicon, Medical History, NYU, Religious History, Science History, Warren County, Washington County, William Miller

339-Mile Power Line Construction Beginning In Washington County

December 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff 3 Comments

Champlain Hudson Power Express RouteConstruction is beginning in Washington County, NY, on the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line, being developed by Transmission Developers Inc, between Hydro-Québec in Canada and and New York City. The massive power line is expected to be fully operational in the spring of 2026. [Read more…] about 339-Mile Power Line Construction Beginning In Washington County

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City Tagged With: energy, Lake Champlain, NYSERDA, Putnam, Washington County, Whitehall

Hunter Dies in Woods East of Lake George

November 29, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

forest ranger logoOn Sunday, November 27, 2022  at 9:30 am, New York State Forest Rangers were notified about a hunter having cardiac issues walking down the Pilot Knob trail to the Buck Mountain trailhead in Fort Ann, Washington County, NY, on the east side of Lake George. [Read more…] about Hunter Dies in Woods East of Lake George

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Recreation Tagged With: Forest Ranger Reports, Fort Ann, hunting, Lake George, Pilot Knob, Search and Rescue, Washington County

Adirondack Voters Join Environmental Bond Act Approval Landslide

November 10, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack Mountains from the top of Whiteface Mountain courtesy Wikimedia R khotResidents of the Adirondack Park’s 130 rural communities voted overwhelmingly to approve the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act on Election Day.

The measure won approval by more than a two-to-one margin statewide. [Read more…] about Adirondack Voters Join Environmental Bond Act Approval Landslide

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Council, Adirondacks, clean air, clean water, Clinton County, Environmental History, Essex County, Forest Preserve, Franklin County, Fulton County, Hamilton County, Lewis County, nature, Oneida County, Overuse, politics, Saratoga County, St Lawrence County, Warren County, Washington County, Whitney Park

NYS Forest Rangers Battle Numerous Wildfires Exacerbated By Dry Conditions

November 1, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Forest Rangers battle a wildfire in Fort Ann on October 30, 2022 (photo courtesy DEC)New York State Forest Rangers joined local firefighters from multiple fire companies to fight numerous wildfires in New York State on Sunday as careless campfires and debris burning combined with dry conditions. About 40 acres were burned in three locations in Washington, Fulton and Herkimer Counties. [Read more…] about NYS Forest Rangers Battle Numerous Wildfires Exacerbated By Dry Conditions

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: Bleeker, Fires, Forest Rangers, Fort Ann, Fulton County, Herkimer COunty, Poland, Town of Newport, Town of Russia, Washington County, wildfires

Trivia & Editorial Wit From Historic Northern NY Newspapers

October 27, 2022 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

A New York Times pressman checking a newspaper for defects in 1942Trivia clue: He was a New York Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner who acted as “spokesman,” so to speak, for the state’s $1.15 billion environmental bond act in 1972. [Read more…] about Trivia & Editorial Wit From Historic Northern NY Newspapers

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Newspapers, Political History, Warren County, Washington County

DEC Awards $1.35M In Land Trust Easement Grants

October 16, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Aerial view of Lake George Wiawaka uplands by DEC taken October 7 2002The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced nearly $1.35 million in awards to four land trusts to help protect and preserve local forests.

The awards were announced during a press conference at the Wiawaka Center for Women in Lake George, Warren County, with the Land Trust Alliance and other partners working together to protect forests and combat climate change. [Read more…] about DEC Awards $1.35M In Land Trust Easement Grants

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Agricultural Stewardship Association, Chestnut Woods State Forest, Columbia County, DEC, Easements, Forestry, Genesee Valley Conservancy, Grants, Harvey Mountain State Forest, hiking, hunting, Lake George, Lake George Land Conservancy, Livingston County, Mount Tom State Forest, nature, Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Sugar Mountain Forest, Warren County, Washington County, Wiawaka, Wildlife

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