Do The Rich Confiscate Adirondack Natural Beauty?

Barbara Ehrenreich has an interesting article in the Nation this month about the what she calls considers "the general rule, which has been in effect since sometime in the 1990s: if a place is truly beautiful, you can't afford to be there. All right, I'm sure there are still exceptions -- a few scenic spots not yet eaten up by mansions. But they're going fast."

The places she describes, Key West and the Grand Tetons, have remarkable similarities to our own Adirondacks. Here is her description of Key West:

At some point in the '90s, the rich started pouring in. You'd see them on the small planes coming down from Miami -- taut-skinned, linen-clad and impatient. They drove house prices into the seven-figure range. They encouraged restaurants to charge upward of $30 for an entree. They tore down working-class tiki bars to make room for their waterfront "condotels."

That's something we've all seen in our area. But, as Ehrenreich points out, it comes at a cost, even for the wealthy:

Ultimately, the plutocratic takeover of rural America has a downside for the wealthy too. The more expensive a resort town gets, the farther its workers have to commute to keep it functioning. And if your heart doesn't bleed for the dishwasher or landscaper who commutes two to four hours a day, at least shed a tear for the wealthy vacationer who gets stuck in the ensuing traffic. It's bumper to bumper westbound out of Telluride, Colorado, every day at 5, or eastbound on Route 1 out of Key West, for the Lexuses as well as the beat-up old pickup trucks.

Or a place may simply run out of workers. Monroe County, which includes Key West, has seen more than 2,000 workers leave since the 2000 Census, a loss the Los Angeles Times calls "a body blow to the service-oriented economy of a county with only 75,000 residents and 2.25 million overnight visitors a year." Among those driven out by rents of more than $1,600 for a one-bedroom apartment are many of Key West's wait staff, hotel housekeepers, gardeners, plumbers and handymen. No matter how much money you have, everything takes longer -- from getting a toilet fixed to getting a fish sandwich at Pepe's.

It's an interesting read, and one that echoes our own problems with affordable housing, low wages, and disappearing Adirondack style.

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New Route For Northville-Placid Trail

The Schenectady Gazzette is reporting some good news today - the rerouting of the ten mile hike along Route 30 from Northville to Upper Benson that starts the Northville-Placid Trail. In the process DEC is adding six miles to the trail.

Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, said work could begin next year on the planned new southern section of the trail starting in Gifford’s Valley, closer to Northville.

On the planned route, which awaits final approval of the Shaker Mountain Unit Management Plan, a switch-back trail would lead hikers over the mountains framing Giffords Valley before descending north to the West Stony Creek, across the Benson Road at Little Cathead Mountain on the east side of Woods Lake, and then northwest to the existing trail, making a junction very near the North Stony campsite.

The new section would save the hikers who want to walk the entire trail from starting on Route 30 near the Northville Bridge.

From a parking area in Giffords Valley, the entire hike would be about 125 miles, and all in the woods.

The original 133-mile trail was laid out by the Adirondack Mountain Club in 1922 and 1923, during the heyday of Adirondack trail building in the 1920s and 1930s. A old ADK Guide for the NPT noted that "the primary reason the Adirondack Mountain Club was formed in 1922 was to create hiking trails. The first project W.G. Howard and his Trails Committee took on was the cutting of the Northville-Placid Trail. by the end of 1923 the trail was essentially in operating order."

The terminus of the trail were chosen for their local New York Central Railroad stations. In 1923 Robert Wickham hiked the trail into the High Peaks - he arrived there by steamer, train, and hiking the "new" NPT. His experience was published as Friendly Adirondack Peaks.

Camping spots along the trail were heavily used near populated areas and in the 1940s crib-work behind some lean-tos was used to hold trash. As plastics became more popular these became enormous trash dumps. Food waste and cans had rusted away over the years - not so with plastics, nylon, rubber and the like.

Bill White (who had hiked the trail in 1947 and again in 1971) took up the problem of littering along the trail. In the ten years between 1972 and 1982 he organized the removal of over 3,000 pounds of trash. During an interview with Sharon Brown in 1982 for Adirondack Life, White recalled his 1946 trip: "The trail is wilder now [in 1982] than it was then," he says, explaining that there was a lot more lumbering activity in the heart of the Adirondacks."

It just got a little wilder.

From South to North the Northville-Placid Trail crosses the Silver Lake Wilderness Area, Jessup River Wild Forest, West Canada Lake Wilderness Area, Moose River Plains Wild Forest, Blue Ridge Wilderness Area, Blue Mountain Wild Forest, and High Peaks Wilderness Area. It also passes through the villages of Piseco, Blue Mountain Lake, and Long Lake.

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Largest Event at Fort Ticonderoga in Modern Times

It's a big year at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. First it's the 100th anniversary of their opening with a dedication attended by President William Howard Taft. The Pell family began it's restoration that year, a project that is continuing with the completion of the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center that will open on July 6.

This year also marks the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War of the Battle of Carillon, which was designated as the I Love NY "signature event," and the opening of the new exhibit "Face of War; Triumph and Tragedy at Ticonderoga, 1758-1759," the first new exhibit in many years. It details the lives of soldiers taken directly from their diaries and letters.

On the weekend of June 28 and 29th, over 2,000 re-enactors from all over the world are expected to make camp assembling to commemorate and celebrate the battle when Major General Abercromby's British Army, along with Native Americans and American Militia was defeated by a much smaller force defending the fort under the Marquis de Montcalm. The focal point of the re-enactment of the 1758 battle will be a replica of the log breastwork that was a focal point of repeated and deadly British frontal attacks.

On July 5, the British and the Black Watch will be remembered with a parade to the Scottish Cairn, accompanied by clans, bagpipes and Scots from Canada, England and the United States. On July 8, there will be a parade led by the Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps to the Montcalm Cross in remembrance of the French victory.

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Adirondack Museum’s 21st Annual Rustic Fair

From the Adirondack Museum:

Talented artists from the Adirondack Park and across the United States bring highly prized craftsmanship and creative expression to one-of-a-kind rustic designs exhibited and sold at the Adirondack Museum’s 21st Annual Rustic Fair. This is the largest event of its kind in the Northeast!

Enjoy delicious food, and great music by the Lime Hollow Boys (Saturday) and traditional fiddling by Frank Orsini (Sunday). See demonstrations of rustic furniture making, carving, and painting throughout the weekend (September 6 and 7, 2008 10 am - 4 pm.

Here is a list of the 2008 Rustic Artisans

Gene Albright
Refined Rustics

Fred Beckhorn
Natural Form Furniture

Barney & Susan Bellinger
Sampson Bog Studio

Tom Benware
Adirondack Woodwright

William Betrus
Adirondack Custom Twig

Steve Bowers
Bald Mountain Rustics

Nathan Broomfield
Zoya Woodworks

Charley Brown
Mote Fly Rustic

Matthew Burnett *
Matt Burnett Paintings

Gary Casagrain
Casagrain Studio & Gallery

Steve & Gwenn Chisholm
High Ridge Rustics

Jim Clark *

Rhea Costello
Paintings by Rhea

Reid Crosby
Branch & Burl

David Daby
Adirondack Rustic Creations

Brant Davis
Gone Wild Creations, Inc.

Jay Dawson
Major Pieces

Russ DeFonce & Deb Jones
Bookman Rustic Furniture

Jeanne Dupre
Adirondack Watercolors

Dave Engelhardt *
Angelheardt Designs

Douglas Francis
Aurora Rustics

John Gallis
Norsemen Designs West

Russ Gleaves & Bill Coffey

Brian Gluck
Rustic Cedar

Brad Greenwood
Greenwood Designs

Barry & Matthew Gregson
Adirondack Rustics Gallery

Eric Gulbrandsen
Trout Pond Rustics

Wayne Hall *

Christopher Hawver
Woodsmith Rustic Furniture

Jason Henderson
J.R. Henderson Designs

Randy Holden
Elegantly Twisted

Michael Hutton *
The Rustic and Painted Garden

Wayne Ignatuk
Swallowtail Studio

Michael Kazlo
Adirondack Mountain Rustic

Phil Kellogg
Adirondack Rustic Furnishings

Morris Kopels
Glens Falls Rustic Studio

Janice and Jonathan Kostreva
Bear View Ridge Rustic Furniture and Lighting

Gary Krauss *
Native Woods

Paul Lakata
Rustic Artwork

Donald Moss
Don Moss Rustic

Anto Parseghian
Abiding Branches

Bill Perkins
Sleeping Bear Twig Furniture

Thomas Phillips
Thomas Phillips Rustic Furniture

Rick & Denise Pratt
Around the Bend

Daniel Quinn
Nature's Design

Kevin & Jeannie Ridgeway
Unique Woodworks

Michael Ringer
St. Lawrence Gallery

Jim Schreiner
Great Sacandaga Designs

Steven Shroder
Stickworks Custom Furniture

Charles Phinney & Stan Steeves
Harvest Hardwoods

Robert Stump
Robert Stump Studios

Jamie Sutliff
Cold River Gallery

Jonathan Swartwout *
Fisher of the Berry

John Taylor
Rustic Furniture by John and Marjorie Taylor

Jim Thomson
Thomson Rustic Furnishings

Jane Voorhees
Jane Voorhees, Custom Furnishings and Accessories

Judd Weisberg

Tom Welsh
The Rustic Homestead

Bim Willow
Willow Works, Inc.

* Indicates a new artisan

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Wild Center: Climate Change 'Producing Significant Harm'

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is holding a national climate conference [details pdf] opened today with an admonishment from conference Co-chair Carter Bales: “We know the risks from climate change are immediate and serious. We know that we have to cut emissions now to cut those risks. It is time to stop talking about what we can do, and start to do it.” Conference organizers released this note today:

The two day conference has attracted leaders from industry, science and policy organizations to the Adirondacks because its organizers promised the event would focus on solutions that would place the United States in a leadership position in a global effort to move away from carbon-based economy. But before the conference attendees started to hash out solutions two speakers took the stage to update the audience on the latest climate science.

John Holdren, a world renowned expert and director at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and President of Woods Hole Research Center spoke first. Holdren warned that climate change was not a future event, but “causing significant harm now.” In graphic detail he presented statistics that showed a speeding up of changes in weather patterns around the world, including new data from China linking droughts in Asia to changes in climate. “This is not some radical group,” he said, “this is coming out of the Chinese government, and it is causing them to act.” Holdren told the gathered leaders that the odds were growing worse each day that the world temperature would reach a level not seen in 30 million years, “a time,” he said, “that crocodiles roamed in Greenland.”

Holdren was followed by Thomas Lovejoy, president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. Lovejoy echoed Holdren’s calls for swift action. He cited global reports of major shifts in species locations, showing that “nature is already on the move everywhere.” Lovejoy said that based on current science, 20 to 30 percent of all species on Earth are likely to be extinct by 2030 as a result of traumatic system shifts caused by changes resulting from climate change. He pointed to locations all over the globe, using models that consistently predict drought in the critical Amazon region in South America and rising sea levels that would alter vast habitats and force large human migrations. Both Lovejoy and Holdren spoke about the complexity of the natural world, and the difficulty of understanding how each change would impact other parts of the system. They both agreed that the pace and scale of changes would cause, as Lovejoy put it, “ecosystems as we know them to fall apart.”

Lovejoy cited the heat wave that took 35,000 lives in Europe in 2003 as an example. The spike in temperature was then thought of as a one in a hundred year event. Lovejoy said that based on current projections that same heat wave would occur every other year by 2020, and would be considered a cool summer by 2050.

The economists and business presenters followed Lovejoy and Holdren. Dimitri Zenghelis, Chief Economist at Cisco’s climate change long-term innovation group and a special advisor to the British government on climate, who had flown in from London for the conference, reiterated that this was not “tomorrow’s story, this is happening now.”

Zenghelis said that a reduction of emissions across the globe of 6-10% every year for the next ten years would produce a 50/50 chance that global temperatures would stabilize at only 1.2 degrees hotter than today, a level that is projected to lead to severe disruptions in natural systems, including those responsible for food and water supplies.

Zenghelis ended by saying that the solutions that were available to cut emissions could result in a cost of only 1 to 2 percent of global GDP, a number he related to the 5 percent of U.S. GDP dedicated to military expenditures or the 15 percent spent on healthcare.

Ken Ostrowski, who is the head of a major climate initiative at McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s leading consulting firms, presented an outline of the McKinsey Report on greenhouse gas reductions that describes ways the U.S. could reduce emissions. The report also helped form the basis for the conference’s solution-oriented structure. In one example he said that a move to use existing energy efficient products would eliminate the need for $300 billion dollars in new power plant investment freeing up money for other uses.

Ostrowski described a series of ways that the cuts could be made in a way that benefited the economy. He used examples as simple as consumers changing to fluorescent lighting that would cut electric use, reduce overall costs for consumers and cut pollution associated with manufacturing and shipping dozens of old-style incandescent light bulbs that a single long-lasting fluorescent bulb would replace. More complex examples included the challenges posed by the need to move quickly and in an organized way across many parts of the economy.

Each attendee at the conference was supplied in advance with reports outlining options that would collectively help move the United States sharply away from carbon dependence. The eventual goal is an 80 to 90 percent reduction in emissions by 2050. Conferees broke up into three groups, one to hammer out recommendations for power generation, another for forestry and land use, and the last for buildings and appliances. More than 60 leaders from each sector sat around tables and began to shape their group’s recommendation. The gatherings were closed to outside observers to allow what conference director Kate Fish said would be a completely open discussion. “What they are trying to do here could be historic,” said Fish. “We wanted everyone to feel that they could take risks, and take positions without concern that they might be quoted in something they said years from now.”

Fish said that the conference was filled to overflow, with more than 200 total attendees for an event that organizers planned for 125. All of the main presentations are being prepared for internet broadcast by the Wild Center. “We filmed all the Plenary sessions,” said Fish. “We will post the presentations and speeches as soon as possible on the conference website.” She said that the entire conference plan, and all the advance reports were already posted in the website the Wild Center created for the Conference at www.usclimateaction.org. She said that all the presentations and speeches would be available on that site within three weeks.

Attendees will reconvene Thursday to complete work for each sector, and to convene as a group to work toward a first draft of the conference’s “Message to the Nation,” which will be widely circulated once it has been completed. The conference concludes Thursday at 5:00.

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Smart Growth Bill Passes NYS Legislature

From State Senator Carl L. Marcellino (R, Syosset) and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D, Buffalo) comes this announcement that the Senate and Assembly have passed the New York State's first Smart Growth legislation. This is a lot of quotes with not a lot of substance, but here it is nonetheless:

This legislation defines Smart Growth Principles for New York State government to look towards as they implement State policies and programs. State activities are often a foundation for economic and community development. These principles will ensure that the State considers it’s impact on suburban and urban sprawl. A recent survey revealed that as the population in upstate New York grew by 2.6%, the amount of land developed increased by 30%.

“This legislation is a great first step in moving our State from suburban sprawl to smart growth. We need to focus state resources on creating livable neighborhoods that protect our open spaces, and reduce the need for cars and their air pollution,” Senator Carl L. Marcellino said. “Without action, our environment and communities are threatened by shortsighted and poorly planned developments.”

"With this legislation, the State takes its first step towards reducing the taxpayer burden and refocusing development to where it costs the least,” said Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. “These smart growth principles will reinforce communities across New York State and make New York more competitive. As a smart growth champion I am proud to be the Assembly sponsor of New York's first smart growth law.”

Smart Growth Principles require the State to review public investment, economic development, conservation and restoration, intergovernmental partnerships, community livability, transportation, sustainability and consistency in future state infrastructure and development programs.

"Audubon New York applauds the leadership of Senator Carl Marcellino and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt in establishing the New York State Smart Growth Principles for State Agencies to implement sound development and planning programs," said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York the state program of the National Audubon Society. "Habitat loss resulting from uncontrolled sprawl has been a leading cause of declining bird populations in many parts of New York, and thoughtful planning of development is imperative for many species. Establishing these Smart Growth Principles is an important first step, and we look forward to working with these leaders to advance stronger policies that seek to promote smart growth in New York in the years to come"

"The Nature Conservancy commends Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman Hoyt for recognizing that conservation is not merely a matter of sequestering nature into our parks and preserves," said Kathy Moser, Acting State Director for The Nature Conservancy in New York. "But rather, effective conservation requires integrating smart growth principles into the public policy planning process in order to protect open space, conserve natural resources, preserve community character, and facilitate adaptation to climate change while still promoting the economic drivers essential to the prosperity of New Yorkers."

"The basic principles of Smart Growth are good for both the economy and the environment in the Adirondack Park," said Brian L. Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, a not-for-profit environmental research, education and advocacy organization. "We commend Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman Hoyt for their vision and foresight in sponsoring this new law. It will encourage sound planning that promotes economic growth in places where it is most needed and where it can do the least harm to our natural resources."

"Vision Long Island applauds the Legislature for the passage of the Smart Growth Principles Bill as a first step towards the creation of a Smart Growth program," said Eric Alexander, Executive Director of Vision Long Island, a regional smart growth planning organization. “Senator Marcellino and NYS Assemblyman Sam Hoyt should be congratulated for their leadership as the principles in this legislation will help lay the groundwork for comprehensive planning and infrastructure reform. With this action and the Governor’s Smart Growth Cabinet, we have seen positive progress towards a Smart Growth agenda for New York."

“By embracing smart growth values, we will begin to develop a long-range, regional approach to sustainability of our communities. This legislation starts a process that will inspire an overdue change of philosophy as we develop our ever expanding neighborhoods,” Senator Marcellino concluded.

The bill numbers are S.8612/A.7335A - according to the bill memo:

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to establishing the New York state smart growth principles

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: The purpose of this bill is to outline state smart growth principles and to direct state infrastructure agencies to implement these principles in funding future policies and programs.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: This bill defines "smart growth principles" in terms of public investment, economic development, conservation and restoration, intergovernmental partnerships, community livability, transportation, sustainability, and consistency, for future state infrastructure and development programs.

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Adirondack Museum Suspends Lake Placid Project

Just arrived from the Adirondack Museum:

Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York announced today that it has suspended work on its plan to erect a building on Main Street in Lake Placid, N.Y. to house a new branch of the museum and its existing store.

Museum Director Caroline Welsh said that the decision was made very reluctantly and only after detailed consideration of financial and other implications of the project for the museum. The decision was made at a special meeting of the museum's Board of Trustees on June 23, 2008.

According to John Fritzinger, Chairman of the Board, the decision is the result of the cumulative impact of several key factors.

These include the extended period required to obtain the permits needed to proceed; continuing litigation over those permits that offers the prospect of even further delay and expense; escalation in costs related to the construction and operation of the museum; and the difficulty of raising the necessary capital in the face of deteriorating and uncertain financial markets, a strained economy, and the potential effects of high gas prices on museum visitation.

Ms. Welsh said the Board of Trustees is most appreciative of the strong support the Adirondack Museum has received for the Lake Placid branch from Mayor Jamie Rogers, Town of North Elba Supervisor Robi Politi, and many members of the community. She expressed the thanks of the museum to all for all their help and enthusiasm as the project moved forward.

Welsh also noted that the Board is particularly grateful for outstanding work by architects David Childs and Roger Duffy of Skidmore Owings & Merrill in creating an exciting design for the proposed new museum.

The Lake Placid project was part of the Adirondack Museum's overall strategic plan that includes the goal of projecting the museum's presence beyond Blue Mountain Lake. The Director emphasized that the goal remains in place. The museum recognizes the importance of Lake Placid as a cultural hub of the Adirondacks and a premier resort destination. Welsh said that the
museum will continue to deliver its programs and collections to the residents of and visitors to the Tri-Lakes area.

Welsh announced that the Adirondack Museum would partner with the Lake Placid Center for the Arts to offer annual exhibits at the Center's facility. "Rustic Tomorrow" will be the first exhibition. A show of unique rustic furniture created through the collaboration of noteworthy architects, designers, and craftsmen, the exhibit premiered at the museum's Blue Mountain Lake campus in May, and will travel to LPCA in late fall.

She also confirmed that museum outreach programs will continue in the village, including the popular Lake Placid "Cabin Fever Sunday" programs.

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39th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show

Lake Placid, NY - The 39th annual Lake Placid Horse Show opened on Tuesday at the North Elba Showgrounds in Lake Placid. The horse continues through Sunday and is followed at the same site by the 31st annual I Love New York Horse Show which runs July 1-6.

Heading the list of entries are the defending champions in the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows’ two Grandprix events-Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, FL and Christine McCrea of East Windsor, CT.

Minikus, the 2001 U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Horseman of the Year, will be looking for a second straight win in this week’s featured event, the $75,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid Presented by RV Sales of Broward. McCrea will be looking to defend her title in the featured event of the I Love New York Horse Show, the $75,000 Hermès Grandprix, on Saturday, July 5.

Other past Grandprix winners entered this year include Laura Chapot, winner of the Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid in 1996 and 2004; Margie Engle, a ten-time American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year, who has been a Grandprix winner in Lake Placid six times; Kent Farrington, who won the Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid in 2005; and Molly Ashe-Cawley who won the Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid in 1999.

The 2008 Lake Placid Horse Show and I Love New York Horse Show sponsors includeA & M Beverages, A Placid Life, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Store, American Grandprix Association, Animal Planet, Anonymous, Bainbridge Farms LLC, Brandy Parfums, Ltd., The Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar, Budweiser, Carr-Hughes Productions, Chair 6, Champlain Valley Equipment, Charlie’s Restaurant, Charlotte Bobcats, Jane Forbes Clark, C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., The Cottage Café, The Country Saddler, Ltd., Crossroad’s Caterers, Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Deeridge Farms, Der Dau Custom Boots and Shoes, The Dutta Corp., Ecogold, Equifit, Farm and Ranch Magazine, Fox Run, Ltd., Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, Grill 211, Mr. James Harpel, Hermès, High Peaks Resort, The Hooker Family, Horse Watch, Intercat, Inc., J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Jake Placid Doghouse, Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, Juliam Farm, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, The Leone Family, The Levy Family, Lonesome Landing Garden Center, Mirror Lake Inn, Mountain Horse, Mr. Mike’s Pizza & Pasta, Moss Communications, Bobby & Melissa Murphy, Nicola’s On Main, On a Fence Designs & Rentals, ORDA/Whiteface Mountain, The Pepsi Bottling Group, The Phillips Family, Price Chopper, Red-Kap Sales, Royal Reflections, Ruthie’s Run, RV Sales of Broward, Sam Edelman Shoes, Sand Castle Farm, Saratoga Living, Michael & Lora Schultz, Sidelines, Storm Ridge Capital LLC, Stretton Enterprises, Town of North Elba Park District, Turtle Lane Farm, The Weeks Family, The Whiteface Lodge, Woodlea Farms, WPTZ News Channel 5, and Y106.3 - Mountain Communications LLC.

Admission to the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows is $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information and schedule details, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.

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Adirondack Park End-Of-Session Bills Update

From the Adirondack Council comes this update on environmental bills making their way through the New York State legislative process as the session draws to an end. The big news is in Net Metering, and Smart Growth.

Now awaiting Governor Paterson's signature:

Smart Growth: This bill passed the Senate today. It passed in the Assembly yesterday. It requires state agencies to support the concepts of sound planning, energy conservation, open space conservation and shared services when doling out public money or supporting economic development projects. In other words, projects that create sprawl, that use too much water or energy, that intensify traffic congestion or cause pollution, would be unlikely to receive state assistance.

Net Metering: This bill passed both houses. It would allow homeowners and small business owners to sell back to their electricity suppliers any unused energy they create via the installation of solar panels or wind turbines or power systems that operate by trapping farm waste (such as methane gas from milking barns). The owner of Covewood Lodge on Big Moose Lake (western Adirondacks) asked for our assistance in pressing for the passage of this bill. C.V. Bowes said he hopes to install a solar power system at the remote resort lodge, possibly this season.

Raquette Lake Constitutional Amendment: This would allow a land swap between the owners of more than a dozen homes on the shoreline of Raquette Lake, Hamilton County (Central Adirondacks) and the State of New York. The swap would clear up a title dispute. The homes appear to have been built on the state-owned Adirondack Forest Preserve about a generation ago. Under the bill, the homeowners collectively would purchase a large parcel of land with a value equal to or greater than the one on which their homes are built, and give it to the State in exchange for the lands on which their homes stand. This bill passed the Senate and appears headed for approval in the Assembly later this week. It would have to pass again, after this November's elections, before it can be presented to the voters for a statewide referendum.

PASSED ONE HOUSE ONLY, awaiting action in the other, but likely to pass:

Old Growth Forest: This bill has passed the Senate, but is awaiting action in the Assembly. It defines old growth forest and instructs the state to protect it. New York contains more than 80 percent of all never-harvested forests east of the Mississippi River. Most, but not all, is protected within the "Forever Wild" Adirondack Forest Preserve. Since it can take 200 to 400 years for a disturbed forest to return to an old growth state, old growth forest is not considered a renewable resource. New York's old growth forest have been growing unmolested since the end of the last Ice Age, about 11,000 years ago.

Segway Scooters: A bill vetoed by Governor Spitzer in 2007 is back, with some modifications. Manufacturers of these side-by-side-wheeled scooters want the public to be able to ride them on roads, trails and sidewalks. However, this year, they agreed to exempt all state parks, including the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, from the areas where riders can use them legally. The Adirondack Council is no longer opposed to the bill. It has passed in the Senate. It is expected to pass in the Assembly later this week.

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Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) will host a training session in invasive plant identification for volunteers who want to survey lakes and ponds for aquatic invaders such as Eurasian watermilfoil that are invading Adirondack waters. The session will be held in Old Forge on Thursday, June 26. The session is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To attend, RSVP to Hilary Oles at (518) 576-2082 x 131 or holes@tnc.org.

Left to spread, invasive plants reach nuisance levels that degrade recreational and natural resources. Luckily, as the boating season begins, hundreds of citizens will keep watchful eyes for new infestations, which can lead to quick action to ensure the eradication of the invasives.

Volunteers are critical in the fight against invasive species. To date, more than 300 volunteers have spent 3,000 hours surveying 205 waterbodies. Their vigilance each year in APIPP’s early detection program has helped to establish a better understanding of invasive species. At least 51 waterbodies have invasive plants in the Adirondack Park, but the good news is that nearly 200 bodies of waters surveyed had no observable infestations. Armed with this information, organizations and communities can take appropriate action.

APIPP is a partnership of diverse organizations that is managed by the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and the Adirondack North Country Association. Learn more about APIPP on-line at www.adkinvasives.com.

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Discussion: Adirondack High Peaks Oil Drilling

Last week John McCain changed a long-held position and endorsed lifting a 27-year moratorium on off-shore oil drilling, President Bush asked Congress to end the ban and arguing that it was one part of his plan to lower the price of gas (now $4.30 in Pottersville).

Democrats, including Barack Obama, are opposed to McCain and Bush's plan, calling it a political ploy that will not lower prices, and instead another handout to Big Oil. Obama wants a windfall profits tax on oil companies with heavy investment in renewable energy.

Since there is little hope of passage of anyone's plan, some see a meaningless political debate that is being used to sidetrack and divide voters much in the way the Gay Marriage Debate did in the 2004 Elections.

Let's assume that the oil wasn't located off-shore, but in the High Peaks.

The New York Times reports that:

A 2007 Department of Energy study found that access to [High Peaks] energy deposits would not add to domestic crude oil and natural gas production before 2030 and that the impact on prices would be “insignificant.”

However:

The National Petroleum Council estimates that beneath the [Au Sable River], there might be 36.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 5.2 billion barrels of oil — numbers that would require extensive exploration to verify. . . .

What would you want to do? I'd love to hear from the Adirondacks wind project supporters - oil or wind project - does it matter?

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Adirondack Hacks

Randomly organized links to ideas for making life in the Adirondacks just a little bit easier - technology tools and tips, do-it-yourself projects, and anything else that offers a more interesting, more convenient, or healthier way of life in our region.

How to Salvage Old Barn Wood

Free Ways to Synchronize Folders Between Computers

Low-cost Ways to Conserve Water at Home

Getting The Most From Rechargeable Batteries

An Easy Homemade Yard Plant Stand

Adirondack Hacks is an occasional feature of Adirondack Almanack. Take a look at our Adirondack Hacks archive here.

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NYS Legislative Session Green Bills Update

The New York League of Conservation Voters reported on their blog a round-up of environmental bills on the table in the final rush to the end of the legislative session on Monday, June 23.

Here are some of the highlights:

Net Metering / Alternative Energy
This may finally be the year to end one of New York’s largest barriers to alternative energy, the state’s current net metering law. Also known as “turning the meter backwards,” net metering allows residential consumers to generate power and sell the excess energy back to utilities. But the existing New York law — one of the most restrictive in the nation — doesn’t allow commercial customers to do the same. That means the enormous potential of roofs (think malls, industrial parks and office buildings) to generate solar power is going untapped. Working with a broad coalition of labor, business and environmental groups, NYLCV is advocating for legislation that would allow commercial customers to sell up to 2 megawatts (2,000 kilowatts) back into the grid and expand the list of approved technologies.

Comprehensive State Energy Plan
After New York’s power-plant siting law — known as Article X — expired on Jan. 1, 2003, the Legislature has been unable to agree on how to streamline the permitting and regulation of new plants. Right now, new plants can still be built, but the review process requires power developers to seek permits from multiple agencies and local jurisdictions — a lengthy and complicated process. With the formation of a new State Energy Planning Board by Gov. David Paterson, plus new leadership by Sen. George Mazairz (R-Newfane) and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston) in the Legislature’s Energy committees, there is renewed hope for Article X. Click here to join NYLCV’s call for a comprehensive state energy plan and ensure that renewable energy plays a big role.

Brownfields Redevelopment Law Reform
The reform of the brownfields redevelopment law — which spurs the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated properties — is one of NYLCV’s top priorities. Due to flaws in the current legislation, the Brownfield Cleanup Program has yet to reach its full potential, and reform has stalled. That program, plus its accompanying tax credits, must be streamlined to allow for improved community planning through the principles of smart growth. Key members of the legislative and executive branches have indicated that brownfields reform will be a top priority for the end of the session. Click here to urge Albany to honor its word.

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Lake Placid Skating Summer Camp

Lake Placid Skater, the blog of a figure skater/speed skater living and training in Lake Placid, will be covering the Skating Summer Camp at the Olympic Center (OC). Here are some of her "bits of info about the coming week":

* Lake Placid's resident Olympic Champions, Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov, are back! The Pairs champions will be available for lessons. See their signs in the OC for more information.

* US National and International level ice dancers Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov will be hosting a seminar on Friday, from 6-7 pm in the 1980 rink. They are also available for private lessons. See their sign on the bulletin boards in the OC for more info.

* The first Freaky Friday of the summer will be held this Friday (of course). Check the schedule for exact time and location.

* There will be two Skating Shows on Saturday. The first will be the Adult Skating Exhibition, where the adult skaters get a chance to perform. Come support them! Check schedule for exact time and location!

* The second show is the famous Saturday Night Ice Show, in the 1932 rink! Almost every Saturday night in the summer there is a show in which campers can perform, along with a different guest skater every week. The Show is at 7:30 pm.

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APA Commissioner Dick Booth Being Reappointed

A short note from John Sheehan of the Adirondack Council:

The Senate Environmental Conservation Committee yesterday approved the Governor's nomination of Richard Booth to a four-year term on the Adirondack Park Agency's Board of Commissioners. If the nomination is approved by the Senate Finance Committee later this week or early next, the nomination would go to the full Senate for a final vote.

Booth was first appointed to the APA board by Governor Eliot Spitzer, to fill the unfinished term of Katherine Roberts, of Garrison, who stepped down before her term expired.

Booth is an environmental law professor at Cornell University. Before joining the APA board, he held elected office in the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County governments. He also spent 10 years as a trustee of the Adirondack Council, ending in 1992.

An Update from Sheehan:

Richard Booth Reappointed
The NYS Senate on Wednesday (June 18) confirmed the Governor's reappointment of Richard Booth to the Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners.

Booth was first appointed to the APA board in 2007 by Governor Eliot Spitzer, to fill the unfinished term of Katherine Roberts, of Garrison, who stepped down before her term expired. Booth is a professor in the City and Regional Planning department at Cornell University. Before joining the APA board, he held elected office in the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County governments. He also spent 10 years as a trustee of the Adirondack Council, ending in 1992. Booth has served as a staff attorney for the APA and the Department of Environmental Conservation. He is considered one of New York's leading environmental lawyers.

Lani Ulrich Nomination Proceeds
The Senate Environmental Conservation Committee is expected to vote today in favor of the Governor's renomination of Park-resident APA commissioner Lani Ulrich (Herkimer County). Ulrich's nomination is expected to pass through the Finance Committee on to the full Senate later today, or on Monday. Ulrich has been a strong advocate for community development and smart growth planning in the Park. Her full name is Leilani C. Ulrich. She lives in Old Forge.

For more information on commissioners Booth or Ulrich, see the Adirondack Park Agency's annual report, on its website at www.apa.state.ny.us.

While these two reappointments allow the 11-member APA Board of Commissioners to continue its work without vacancies on the board, the APA staff is still lacking an Executive Director. A senior staff member had taken the reins following the retirement of Richard Lefebvre in 2007, but is no longer able to fulfill the duties of Acting Executive Director in addition to his other staff position.

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"Songbirds of the Adirondacks" at Adirondack Museum

Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. -- Take a naturalist's tour of the exquisite bird life -- from warblers to waxwings - found throughout the Adirondack Park.

Join Gerard "Gerry" Lemmo at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York on Friday, June 20, 2008 for the popular program, "Songbirds of the Adirondacks," featuring many of the area's best-loved feeder birds as well as birds you might not guess live in the wilds of northern New York State.

The slide-illustrated program will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the museum's Auditorium. The presentation is free and open to the public. The "Songbirds of the Adirondacks" is offered in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Hamilton County Birding Festival sponsored by Hamilton County Tourism, and Audubon New York.

Gerry Lemmo is one of the Northeast's most prolific wildlife and travel photographers. His images are sought by publishers, advertising agencies, and other clients, and regularly appear in national and international publications. Lemmo has traveled to five of the seven continents in pursuit of adventure and the thrill of capturing beautiful photos of elusive wild creatures, as well as the landscapes and cultures that surround them.

He continues to build his diverse collection of photographs from around the world. Within the photo library, now exceeding 70,000 images, are shots of birds, insects, mammals, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and a great variety of plant life and wildflowers.

Lemmo gives nearly one hundred slide-illustrated programs each year throughout northern New York State, and regularly publishes his photographs in calendars, magazines, and books.

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An Assault On Indy Media and Our Wallets3 Years Ago On Adirondack Almanack

Three years ago at Adirondack Almanack we were bemoaning a raid by Federal agents on the downtown office of Brattleboro Vermont’s low-power community radio (10-watt) station Radio Free Brattleboro.

We were also On The Road With Chicken Little wondering if the price of oil was going to skyrocket soon (ahem), fearing what might happen, and wondering if you shouldn't Kill Your Car, Before It Kills You.

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An Adirondack Landscapist Lashes Out

One of the blogs we follow here at the Almanack is Mark Hobson's The Landscapist in AuSable Forks. His blog is described as "intended to showcase the landscape photography of photographers who have moved beyond the pretty picture and for whom photography is more than entertainment."

His latest post touches on just those points when he takes a fellow photographer to task for their fluffy, feel good, approach to nature photography. The unnamed photographer wrote:

I chose nature photography as a way of capturing and sharing the beauty, power, and fragility of wild places and the life that inhabits them, so that those who have become mired in the man-made chaos may open their eyes to the real world.

Hobson's response was scathing.

What a bunch of unadulterated sentimental, romanticized, escapist crap - just like the pictures that pour from cameras in the hands of those who subscribe to such bunk...

The idea that the human race is "wasting the precious gift of thought and inspiration" by concerning themselves with "politics, economics, religious squabbles" and that those so-called "squabbles" constitute "man-made chaos" really is a notion that is thoroughly out of touch with the "real world."

The entire piece is worth a read and necessary to really get where Hobson is going, but it sums with this gem:

IMO, making pretty pictures as a means to effect sound thinking regarding sustainability is akin to penning catchy popular ditties about the joys of firefighting as a means of effecting the dousing of the flames that are burning down the house.

WOW.

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Quiet Waters and The No-Octane Regatta

It's almost perfect timing.

On the heels of the lawsuit against DEC trying to force the state agency to uphold the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan by phasing out floatplane use on Lows Lake, and formation of a DEC and APA sponsored “Quiet Waters Working Group for the Adirondack Park” - comes the Adirondack Museum's Second Annual No-Octane Regatta (Sat., June 14, Little Wolf Lake in Tupper Lake).

The No-Octane is an emerging annual event that celebrates the ideas behind the Adirondack Quiet Waters Movement to set aside a place for quite, old school paddling in canoes, guideboats, kayaks, and rowboats.

Here are the details from the museum's press release:

Races, demonstrations, workshops, and family activities will begin at 11:00 a.m. and continue until 5:00 p.m. Food, restrooms, changing areas, and ample parking are all available.

The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y., Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY) in Canton, N.Y., the Town of Tupper Lake, and the Adirondack Watershed Alliance have jointly planned the No-Octane Regatta.

No-Octane Regatta races have intriguing names and are as much fun for spectators as participants. Look for the Hurry-Scurry Race, the Bang-and-Go-Back Race, and the Doggy Paddle Race. There will be separate races for kayaks, guideboats, canoes, war canoes and sailing craft. A total of seventeen races are planned for a variety of categories and distances. The on-the-water activities will end with a Grand Parade of Boats.

Demonstrations will include Seat Caning by Pauline Villeneuve of Tupper Lake, Paddle Making by Caleb Davis of Long Lake, N.Y., and Boatbuilding and Restoration by Chris Woodward of Saranac Lake, N.Y. and Rob Frenette, also of Tupper Lake. Guide Boat Realty of Saranac Lake, N.Y. will sponsor the demonstrations.

As part of the No-Octane Regatta, Wooden Canoe Heritage Association will sponsor a Youth Boating Workshop with Adirondack Connections Guide Service, a fully insured guide, trip planning & outdoor education service. The goal of the workshop is to get kids on the water and into canoes, kayaks, and guideboats.

Children ages 8 - 13 are invited to participate. Instruction will include boating safety before the young boaters learn basic paddling and rowing techniques. There will be opportunities for youngsters to try a variety of boats. All participants must wear personal floatation devices at all times during workshop. Three New York State licensed guides will provide boating instruction.

Youth Boating Workshops will be held at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Each session will be 45 minutes in length and is limited to ten participants per session. Please register on the beach at Little Wolf Lake the day of the No-Octane Regatta. Parental permission and signature are required.

In addition, the Regatta will feature activities just for younger children and "paddling primers" - paddling workshops for adults.

Also on June 14, 2008 - but not on the Little Wolf Lake Beach -- the Adirondack Watershed Alliance has organized a "9-miler" race on the Raquette River. A great solo, family, and novice event, the race starts at 10:00 a.m. at the Route 30 fishing access site, "The Crusher." Paddlers follow the Raquette River to Simond Pond. The finish line is at the Tupper Lake Rod & Gun Club. Paddle, race, finish, and head for the No-Octane Regatta for the rest of the day!

For complete information about the No-Octane Regatta please visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.

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Environmentalists Sue Over Floatplane Use

Received from the Adirondack Mountain Club and forwarded for your information, the following press release:

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, the Sierra Club and the Residents' Committee to Protect the Adirondacks filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Albany on May 29. The suit asks the court to compel the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ban floatplanes on Lows Lake in the Adirondack Park.

The lawsuit was filed because DEC has failed to abide by legal commitments it made in 2003 to eliminate floatplanes on the wilderness lake. In January of that year, the DEC commissioner signed a unit management plan (UMP) for the area that committed DEC to phasing out floatplane use of Lows Lake over five years. The five-year window expired at the end of January, but DEC has not promulgated regulations to ban floatplanes. According to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, which is part of the state Executive Law, "preservation of the wild character of this canoe route without motorboat or airplane usage … is the primary management goal for this primitive area."

"Lows Lake is a true wilderness within the 'forever wild' Forest Preserve," said David H. Gibson, executive director of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. "Eighty-five percent of its shoreline is bounded by designated wilderness. It is the true eastern border of the Five Ponds Wilderness Area. The public expects DEC to manage wilderness according to well established principles and legal guidelines, among which is the key provision that there shall be no public motorized use."

"We take this action reluctantly and only after extensive discussions with DEC at the highest levels," said Roger F. Downs, conservation associate for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "From the moment these lands and waters were acquired for the public in 1985, the state's verbal and written intent was to treat this body of water as wilderness and to close Lows Lake to all public motorized use. Finally, in 2003, DEC committed in the UMP to doing just that over the ensuing five years, providing floatplane operators with a long time to adjust their business plans. Five years constitutes a very generous and lengthy public notice. We act today because DEC has failed to follow through on a very public commitment advertised far in advance and involving extensive public involvement and debate."

At 3,122 acres, Lows Lake, which straddles the St. Lawrence-Hamilton county line, is one of the larger lakes in the Adirondack Park. The lake stretches about 10 miles east to west and is the centerpiece of a roughly 20-milelong wilderness canoe route. Floatplanes were rare on Lows Lake until recently. Sometime before 1990, non-native bass were illegally introduced into the lake, and as public awareness of the bass fishery grew, floatplanes and motorboat use increased. Motorboats, except those for personal use by the few private landowners on the lake, are now prohibited on Lows Lake.

A recent analysis by the Residents' Committee shows that only 10 of the 100 largest lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks are "motorless," and three of these are in remote areas that are not easily accessible. The vast majority of lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks are overrun with floatplanes, motorboats and personal watercraft.

"Motorboats have already been prohibited on Lows Lake, making this decision by DEC inconsistent as well as illegal," said Michael P. Washburn, executive director of the Residents' Committee. "The park should be the place where people know they can find wilderness. That will only happen if New York state follows its own laws."

DEC's proposed permit system would limit flights into the lake and allow DEC to designate specific areas for take offs and landings, but the plan creates a number of problems. For one thing, floatplane operators would be allowed to store canoes for use by their clients on Forest Preserve land designated as wilderness, an inappropriate and unconstitutional commercial use of public land. Floatplanes would also have to beach on the wilderness shore to drop off and pick up clients at the canoe storage sites.

During the peak paddling season, July through September, floatplanes would be prohibited from landing on and taking off from Lows Lake on Fridays and Saturdays and on Sundays before 2 p.m. This would increase pressure on the area because visitors coming in by floatplane would have to camp for at least three nights on weekends during the busy season. Floatplane customers would also be coming in on Thursday, allowing them to quickly fill up camping sites before weekend paddlers have a chance to get there.

DEC attempts to justify the proposal by manipulating the results of a survey of paddlers who visited Lows Lake in 2007. Generally, the survey results do not support continued use of floatplanes on Lows Lake. For example, 68 percent of the paddlers surveyed said they believe it is inappropriate for floatplanes to use the lake and 85 percent said floatplanes diminished their wilderness experience. These figures are consistent with the hundreds of letters the state received in 2002 supporting a floatplane ban.

"Lows Lake provides a rare wilderness paddling experience, but that experience is greatly diminished by the intrusion of floatplanes," said Neil F. Woodworth, executive director of ADK. "It's frustrating, after a hard day canoeing or kayaking, to discover that your favorite campsite has already been grabbed by someone who can afford to hire a plane."

The suit is returnable on July 11 in Albany. Attorney John W. Caffry of Caffry & Flower of Glens Falls is representing the coalition in the case.

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New Kevin Bacon Ad Campaign for Adk Environment

This past month the Adirondack Council filmed a series of public service announcements on acid rain, climate change, the need for pure water, wilderness and wildlife habitat featuring Michael and Kevin Bacon, collectively known as the Bacon Brothers . [At right: L-R, Kevin Bacon, Adirondack Council Trustee Sarah Collum-Hatfield, Adirondack Council Communications Director John Sheehan, Michael Bacon].

Kevin is the famous movie actor (Animal House, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Sleepers, Wild Things, Friday the 13th, Mystic River, Footloose, etc.). Michael is an award-winning composer, with a long resume of stellar work with PBS films. Together, they formed a country/folk/rock band in 1997 whose first album "Forosoco" includes the song "Adirondack Blue." Their sixth album is due out soon.

Both of the Bacons have been visiting the Adirondacks since they were kids. The ad campaign will run on commercial radio and television stations throughout the United States starting this summer. They were filmed by Working Dog Productions, who wrote and directed the documentary "The Adirondacks," which premiered on PBS stations last month.

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