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wilderness

APA Plans For More Roads, Snowmobile Trails In Adirondack Park

March 24, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

APA Building in Ray Brook NYThe Adirondack Park Agency Board, at its March 16th, 2023 meeting, authorized a 30-day public comment period to solicit input to help inform the Board’s interpretation of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan’s Wild Forest Basic Guideline No. 4.

The guideline sets the standard for how many miles of roads and snowmobile trails are allowed in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about APA Plans For More Roads, Snowmobile Trails In Adirondack Park

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, APA, development, snowmobiling, State Land Master Plan, Transportation, wilderness

Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

March 12, 2023 by Justin Levine Leave a Comment

Willie JanewayWillie Janeway details his decision to leave the Adirondack Council

Willie Janeway, who has been the Executive Director of the Adirondack Council for the past decade, will be leaving the organization this fall. Janeway is leaving the Council in excellent shape, and the dedicated staff will continue to work on behalf of the Adirondack Park on a daily basis. Raul “Rocci” Aguirre, who has served as Deputy Director, is now the Acting Executive Director, and the first person of color to lead a major Adirondack environmental group. [Read more…] about Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Council, Adirondacks, APA, conservation, development, road salt, Transportation, wilderness

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

February 7, 2023 by David Gibson 6 Comments

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.” [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

State Rebuilding of High Peaks Wilderness Roads Challenged in Court

January 30, 2023 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

equipment in the MacIntyre East High Peaks Wilderness Area to rebuild roadsOn January 20, 2023, Protect the Adirondacks filed a lawsuit challenging the reconstruction by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) of a previously closed and reclaimed road in the High Peaks Wilderness Complex. Protect argues that DEC’s road construction activity in the High Peaks violates the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (Master Plan) which prohibits roads in Wilderness Areas. [Read more…] about State Rebuilding of High Peaks Wilderness Roads Challenged in Court

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, APA, Article 14, Boreas Ponds, DEC, development, Environmental History, Finch Pruyn Lands, Forest Preserve, High Peaks, Legal History, MacIntyre East Tract, State Land Master Plan, wilderness

Gibson: DEC & APA Should Reform Managing Adirondack Lakes and Ponds

November 5, 2022 by David Gibson 1 Comment

Chad Dawson speaking at Paul Smith's VIC Oct. 2022At Adirondack Wild’s October meeting at the Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, lakes and ponds came under the spotlight in a panel discussion about Cooperative Stewardship of Adirondack Lakes. Of particular interest was a given lake’s classification and subsequent comprehensive study, planning and management.

If Adirondack waterbodies are considered part of the Forest Preserve, and for the last fifty years the State Land Master Plan talks about land and water, then the law requires that lakes and ponds be classified, just as forests are. That raises important questions. [Read more…] about Gibson: DEC & APA Should Reform Managing Adirondack Lakes and Ponds

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Wild, Adirondacks, Big Moose Lake, boating, development, Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, Lake Placid, Little Tupper Lake, Lower Saranac Lake, Lows Lake, nature, paddling, Raquette Lake, Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, Siamese Ponds Wilderness, State Land Master Plan, Thirteenth Lake, Warren County, water quality, wilderness, Wildlife, William C. Whitney Wilderness

Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms, Part 2

October 17, 2022 by Peter Bauer Leave a Comment

“Visitor Use Management” Forest PreserveThe Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for development of a “Visitor Use Management” Plan for the Central High Peaks Wilderness Area in the Adirondack Park and the Kaaterskill Clove/Route 23A corridor of the Catskill Park.

The RFP marks a major step forward in DEC’s efforts to evaluate and address a series of impacts to the natural resources, the visitor experience, and public safety due to high recreational use in these two popular destinations on the New York State Forest Preserve. [Read more…] about Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms, Part 2

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, APA, Catskills, DEC, development, Environmental History, Forest Preserve, High Peaks, hiking, Kaaterskill Falls, Kaaterskill Wild Forest, Overuse, State Land Master Plan, Tourism, wilderness, Wildlife

Key Tract Connecting Adirondacks to Canada’s Algonquin Park Protected

October 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Grasse River by Brendan WiltseNortheast Wilderness Trust, a regional land trust based in Montpelier, Vermont, purchased 1,400 acres in Russell, St. Lawrence County, NY to establish the Grasse River Wilderness Preserve.

The purchase is the most recent conservation success within the Algonquin-to-Adirondack (A2A) wildlife corridor, and New York’s newest forever-wild Adirondack Forest Preserve. The land will be open to the public for on-foot, backcountry exploration. [Read more…] about Key Tract Connecting Adirondacks to Canada’s Algonquin Park Protected

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Downerville State Forest, Grass River, Grass River Wild Forest, nature, Northeast Wilderness Trust, St. Lawrence Land Trust, wilderness, Wildlife

Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

October 6, 2022 by Peter Bauer Leave a Comment

NYSDEC Trail Work2022 may end up as the year some of the most important reforms in New York State Forest Preserve management were started, both in practice and in theory.

Forest Preserve management reform has been a long time coming as the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which is responsible for the care and custody of the Forest Preserve, has struggled for years with how to improve its overall management program.

Small changes have been attempted at various points, but no major reforms have been successfully brought to the DEC’s Forest Preserve management. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, APA, Article 14, Catskills, DEC, development, Environmental History, Forest Preserve, Legal History, nature, Protect the Adirondacks, snowmobiling, wilderness

Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation

July 29, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Upper Falls at the Plotter Kill Reserve courtesy Michael DianaSchenectady 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

Filed Under: History, Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: 46ers, Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondacks, Boquet River, camping, Environmental History, Forest Preserve, General Electric, High Peaks, hiking, John Apperson, Kelly Adirondack Center, Lake George, Niskayuna, Paul Schaefer, Schenectady, Schenectady County, Schenectady County Historical Society, Union College, wilderness

A Constitutional Amendment Proposed for Mt. Van Hoevenberg

May 26, 2022 by Peter Bauer Leave a Comment

Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports ComplexAn Article 14 Constitutional Amendment is being proposed for the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in the Adirondack Park outside Lake Placid.

At the Mt. Van Hoevenberg complex, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) currently manages around 1,220 acres of Forest Preserve classified as Intensive Use by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). Abutting these lands is 319 acres of land owned by the Town of North Elba.

Together this complex houses the Olympic bobsled and luge track, cross-country skiing and biathlon trails, and associated facilities, with most of the intensive buildings and facilities located on the town lands. These facilities have seen massive upgrades and state spending in preparation for hosting the World University Games in 2023. [Read more…] about A Constitutional Amendment Proposed for Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, Article 14, development, Environmental History, Essex County, Forest Preserve, High Peaks, Mt Van Hoevenberg, North Elba, NYS Constitution, Olympic History, ORDA, Political History, Protect the Adirondacks, Sports History, wilderness

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