Here is the complete text of testimony given November 19th by NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash at the New York State Assembly Public Hearing for the $132 million capital improvement spending plan for our parks and historic sites. A pdf of the Capital Plan presentation is located here. This page includes the initial announcement of the plan along with a Report to the Legislature and the Capital Projects List.
Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss our real success story of the past year -- our capital initiative -- "The Revitalization of New York State's Parks and Historic Sites".
I truly appreciate this opportunity to fully discuss our capital program, its economic significance, and the importance of our state parks in communities throughout the state.
The New York State Park system is made up of 178 parks and 35 historic sites encompassing 325,000 acres of lands and waters. The system is widely recognized as one of the best in the nation. Our parks and historic sites host more than 55 million visitors annually.
Our huge inventory of public recreational facilities includes 5,000 buildings, 29 golf courses, 53 swimming pools, 76 beaches, 27 marinas, 40 boat launching sites, 18 nature centers, 817 cabins, 8,355 campsites, more than 1,350 miles of trails, 106 dams, 640 bridges, hundreds of miles of roads, and dozens of historic structures listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Niagara Falls State Park, established in 1885, is the oldest state park in the nation, and Washington's Headquarters, established in 1850, is the first publicly-owned state historic site. The Bethpage Black was the first publicly-owned golf course to host the U.S. Open Golf Championship in 2002. The 109th United States Open Championship will return to this world-class facility in June of next year.
In traveling to more than 150 of our state parks and historic sites across the state, I have seen first-hand some of the significant challenges facing our parks. In many parts of the state, I was able to share these experiences with members of the Assembly and to those legislators who were able to join me on these park visits, I offer a special thank you.
As a result of a thorough assessment of our system, we identified a backlog of critical capital project needs approaching $650 million.
How did a $650 million capital backlog come to be? Over the fifteen year period from 1992 through 2007, the state park system grew. Twenty-six new parks and 70,000 acres were acquired, representing a 25 percent increase in the system. But over this same period, the state parks' capital budget was cut by 50 percent, adjusting for inflation. Cutting the capital budget by 50 percent, while expanding the system by 26 new parks, led to a predictable outcome – we are now faced with the challenge of addressing a large backlog of health and safety and park rehabilitation needs.
Fortunately, this year Governor Paterson and the Legislature, with the support of Speaker Silver and Chairmen Englebright and Sweeney, responded to this challenge. The current year FY2008-09 state budget created a new State Parks Capital Initiative. This initiative, coupled with other funds OPRHP secured from federal, state, and private sources, enabled the agency to launch a program to revitalize the state park system totaling more than $100 million.
OPRHP's $100 million capital investment is delivering tangible, on-the-ground benefits to the residents of New York State. Last week, I submitted a six-month update report to the Legislature on the status of State Park's Capital Program. The agency has initiated more than 150 capital construction projects to remedy the health and safety issues and rehabilitate deteriorated facilities in State Parks and Historic Sites across the state—addressing health and safety concerns, and providing safe and affordable recreational and educational experiences for millions of New Yorkers.
Of the total $95 million State Parks Capital Initiative appropriation, $75.5 million was allocated to OPRHP. As charged by the Governor and the Legislature, we aggressively set out to efficiently spend these dollars. As of today –seven months later – OPRHP has spent or encumbered 96 percent of the $75.5 million.
Let me repeat, in just seven months through the fiscal year, we have spent or have under contract $72.5 million of the $75.5 million provided to the agency this year – and we have initiated bidding and contract awards for the remaining $3 million.
The agency is on track to encumber the entire $75.5 million by March 31, 2009, and the visiting public will see some noticeable improvements to our state parks during next year's summer operating season. And, we are ready to begin construction on the next installment of new projects for the next fiscal year, spurring even more economic activity in communities throughout the state.
These capital investments will not only improve the parks and protect the state's investments in irreplaceable public assets, but they also support the equivalent of 1,000 full-time private sector construction and engineering jobs which bolster the state's economy in these very difficult times. Due to the nature of construction jobs, this equivalent reflects thousands of actual, on-site workers for various periods of time. The nature and scope of agency's capital work also makes the projects ideal for small to medium-sized construction firms, businesses that will be most impacted by the economic downturn.
Here are some examples of revitalization projects made possible by this year's State Parks Capital Initiative.
Four Mile Creek State Park Comfort Station Renovations.
At Four Mile Creek in Niagara County, we are providing park patrons with a new, updated comfort station. The new building features several "green" components including water saving fixtures and skylights, and is fully accessible.
Letchworth State Park.
Roads throughout Letchworth were repaired and repaved, and several public parking areas were resurfaced – addressing critical but long-deferred park infrastructure needs. Other projects initiated at the park this year include waterline improvements and construction of a new washhouse to serve campers. Camping at the park was booked to capacity for most of the summer. About an hour's drive south of Rochester, Letchworth is a popular and significant tourist attraction in the Genesee region of the state, hosting about 750,000 visitors each year.Saratoga Spa State Park.
The large Peerless Pool complex, including the fully accessible main pool, slide pool, and toddler pool, were rehabilitated. A new pool liner was installed to improve durability and eliminate water leakage. In addition, a number of the park's roads, parking areas, bike paths, and walking trails were resurfaced. The spa park attracts 1.7 million visitors annually.Allegany State Park Cabin Loop Restoration.
Last year, we showed you pictures of severely deteriorating cabins at this park. This past summer, we initiated phase one of the cabin loop restoration project that will rehabilitate deteriorated public rental cabins throughout the park, which has 424 campsites and 375 cabins spread throughout its 65,000 acres. Allegany is a top destination for campers, hikers, and nature lovers.FDR State Park Bathhouse.
This bathhouse provided another of last year's memorable "uglies". Capital projects completed using this year's funding include the rehabilitation of bathhouse and pool fencing. FDR State Park, located in Westchester County, draws 570,000 visitors annually. (Here we are viewing some of the ongoing work with members of the local Assembly delegation)Green Lakes State Park Bathhouse Reconstruction.
Following a news conference attended by local Assembly members and Senators this summer, State Parks broke ground on a new $2.3 million bathhouse at the swimming beach in this popular park, located near Syracuse. The new bathhouse will incorporate green technologies, as well as current building code and accessibility standards, and will be open to the public for next summer. The park hosts 850,000 visitors annually.Riverbank Traffic Circle.
This past summer, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Riverbank state park community supporters and local state representatives. As part of our capital initiative, we are replacing the traffic circle roadway which provides the park's main entrance for vehicles, including public buses. In addition to the traffic circle, the agency is in the process of letting contracts to rehabilitate failing roofs and HVAC systems, and has initiated other upgrades including rehabilitation of irrigation lines and the replacement of more than 100 trees donated by the Million Tree Project.
Brentwood State Park-Park Development.
Construction has begun at Brentwood State Park in Suffolk County, a major athletic complex that will provide greatly needed playing fields in this underserved area. This first phase of construction, which includes sixteen soccer fields and four baseball fields, is slated to open in the summer of 2009. The park will serve thousands of children in a community that has been very much in need of recreational facilities.These are just a few highlights. All told, this year's capital initiative funding enabled the agency to undertake capital improvements in more than 80 state parks and historic sites across New York State.
By any measure, the State Parks Revitalization Initiative is off to a solid start. However, contrasted against a capital backlog of $650 million, much more work remains to be done. As I outlined last year, the bulk of OPRHP's capital needs fall into two categories:
Health and Safety Projects.
The state parks continue to face a number of health and safety issues. We have outdated drinking water systems that need to be replaced. We have aging sewage treatment systems that have exceeded their useful life; dams on the state's "high hazard" list that do not meet modern dam safety standards, and bridges that have been flagged as potential hazards. We have failing electrical systems and landfills that, although inactive for many years, were never closed to DEC standards.Rehabilitation of Existing Facilities.
This category is by far the largest, comprising approximately two-thirds of OPHRP's total identified capital needs. It encompasses capital rehabilitation of existing infrastructure in the parks and historic sites – replacing facilities that have long exceeded their practical and operational effectiveness and are in various stages of disrepair, including roofs, heating and plumbing systems, visitor centers, bathrooms, campgrounds, shower buildings, picnic shelters, recreation fields, pools, swimming pools, bathhouses, nature centers, roads, parking areas, hiking trails, and maintenance centers.Looking forward to next year, the agency hopes to continue momentum on revitalizing New York's state parks and historic sites.
We understand that decisions about next year's investment in our state parks need to be made in the context of the unprecedented fiscal picture facing New York State. Like all state agencies, we are reducing operating expenses and focusing on the agency's core mission and priorities. Nonetheless, I believe that, even in this time of fiscal difficulty, continued funding for New York's State Parks' capital program is a smart financial investment. The State Parks Capital Program has and can continue to deliver:
Safe and Affordable Parks
Visitation at parks was very strong this summer and, given the challenging financial outlook facing millions of New Yorkers, we expect continued heavy public demand next year for our campgrounds, cabins, picnic and swimming areas, lakes and ocean beaches, and other recreational facilities.Private Sector JobsThrough this year's capital program, OPRHP has entered into 150 contracts and more than 400 subcontracts with private, local construction and engineering firms. Given the nature of our projects, we are contracting with small and medium-size local contractors. And, I am pleased to report that over the past two years more than 13 percent of the agency's capital construction spending has gone to minority- and women-owned businesses.Tourism
Revitalized State Parks and Historic Sites directly support recreational tourism, which is one of New York's largest industries. To grow our tourism industry, we need to make sure that these visitors have high-quality experiences, so that they will return in the future and tell others to do the same.Economically Vibrant CommunitiesParks, open space, and recreational amenities are important community assets that directly contribute to the economic vitality of cities, towns, and rural areas – enticing businesses to locate and stay in New York.Healthy Families
Parks provide a place for New Yorkers of all ages to and exercise and play. By investing is safe and attractive facilities, the initiative is part of a comprehensive state strategy to promote public health and wellness, particularly among children and underserved communities.
This year, OPRHP has proven our ability to quickly and efficiently put the State Parks Capital Initiative Funds to work – creating jobs and investing in tangible, lasting improvements to our public facilities. I hope that we are able to continue our momentum on this initiative, within the confines of what is affordable in the overall state budget.
In closing, I would like to thank you for your support of New York's State Park System. As I have traveled the state over the past two years – from Long Island's magnificent ocean beach parks, to our urban parks in New York City, to our hundreds of facilities across upstate New York – I have received universal support for the parks from our state's elected officials. Supporting our parks is a sound investment in the future of our state, and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is committed to continuing to make wise use of this investment in the future.
Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
The U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships will take place Dec. 8-13 at the historic Lake Placid Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. More than 300 figure skaters from across the country are expected to compete at the four-day event, which is being hosted for the second time since 2003 by the Skating Club of Lake Placid and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).
Qualifying rounds begin Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Herb Brooks Arena with the intermediate men’s event. The intermediate ladies short program will kick off the championship events Friday, Dec. 12 at the Herb Brooks Arena. Competition concludes Saturday, Dec. 13 with the intermediate men’s competition in the Herb Brooks Arena and the juvenile boys’ competition at the Jack Shea Arena.
The annual event crowns the U.S. champion in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing in the first two levels of the U.S. Figure Skating competitive structure: juvenile and intermediate. The remaining three levels – novice, junior and senior – will compete Jan. 18-25, 2009, at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
Skaters qualified for the U.S. Junior Championships by finishing in the top four at one of nine regional championships held throughout the country this fall. Past champions of the event include two-time World bronze medalist and two-time U.S. champion Evan Lysacek and 2008 U.S. silver medalist ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
An updated event schedule can be found on the Skating Club of Lake Placid’s web site, http://www.lakeplacidskating.com/newsite.
Lake Placid and ORDA have also hosted the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships (five times), the annual Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and the first event in the 2007 ISU Junior Prix of Figure Skating Series.
Snow guns having been making snow around the clock since November 17, and combined with natural snow, Whiteface will have 11 trails and two lifts ready for the post-Thanksgiving Day crowd when it opens for its 51st season on Friday, November 28, at 8:30 AM. The Cloudsplitter gondola and Mixing Bowl lift will service 47 acres, or four miles, of trails for all levels of skiers and riders. The Whiteface children’s programs will be operating out of the new Kids Kampus lodge, with the children being shuttled to the main lodge for their skiing and riding activities.
Whiteface boasts the East’s greatest vertical drop, and was recently named to the Top Five Resorts in the East in SKI Magazine’s Reader Resort Survey 2008. The mountain also received kudos for Challenge and Family Programs (No. 6) and Terrain/Variety (No. 10). Whiteface/Lake Placid also earned the distinction of being #1 in the nation for Off-Hill Activities for the 16th straight year.
Opening day lift tickets are $55 for adults (20-64 years old), $45 for teens (13-19) and seniors (64-69), and $32 for juniors (7-12). As always, children six and under and seniors 70 and over ski and ride for free any day of the season. These prices will be in effect until mid-December. Operating hours are from 8:30 AM – 4 PM.
Gore Mountain, Whiteface’s sister mountain located in North Creek, is also opening for the season on Friday. Gore was recently ranked seventh in the Top 10 Best of the East Reader’s Choice Awards by Skiing. For more information and current conditions at Gore, visit
The 13th Annual Adirondack International Mountainfest is scheduled for January 16-18, 2008 in Keene Valley. Local guides Chuck Boyd, Emilie Drinkwater, Jeremy Haas, Carl Heilman, Matt Horner, Don Mellor, Jim Pitarresi and Jesse Williams will be returning to offer clinics on snowshoeing, mountaineering, avalanche awareness and ice climbing (pre-register soon). Guest athletes include Conrad Anker (a key member of the search team which located the remains of George Mallory on Mount Everest), LP Ménard (who with fellow Quebecer Max Turgeon climbed a new route up Denali's 8,000 foot South Face in just 58 hours in 2006), Janet Bergman (who has climbed in Peru, Argentina, Canada, China, Nepal, South Africa and around the US) and longtime climber and guide Jim Shimberg (who has guided throughout North America and the world, including trips to Iceland, Peru, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, China, Scotland, Thailand and Canada. Jim has climbed in Alaska since 1987, with 7 expeditions to Denali, Mt Hunter, Mt Huntington, and more).
According to the folks at the Mountaineer, who hosts the event:Telluride Mountainfilm, one of the premier film festivals in the country, opens the Mountainfest on Friday night with a custom compilation of the best films from Mountainfilm’s 9-year history on tour, with a focus on ice climbing and mountaineering videos. This will be preceded by a short slide show by Olaf Sööt and Don Mellor about Alpine Americas, their new book of fantastic photographs and essays about “an odyssey along the crest of two continents.” Both authors will be available to sign books offered for sale before and after the Mountainfilm on Tour presentation. Friday evening’s festivities begin at 8pm at Keene Central School and entry is $12 at the door.
Jennifer Lowe-Anker and Conrad Anker will hold a special presentation about the life of the late Alex Lowe on Saturday evening at Keene Central School. Jenni’s new book Forget Me Not tells a complex and candid story of how three people's lives became intertwined to a degree that none could have foreseen; Jenni and Conrad will tell the story through a slideshow and readings. Forget Me Not will be available for purchase before and after the presentation, and Jenni and Conrad will be signing books afterward. The evening’s presentation will be preceded by raffles and tomfoolery as well as a short award-winning film by Sam Lowe on the Antarctic. The show begins at 7:30pm at Keene Central School and entry is $10 at the door.
On Sunday evening Janet Bergman will present a slideshow of her often-humorous efforts to satiate the climbing obsession. Janet is a New Hampshire climber and world-class Mountain Hardwear athlete who has climbed in Argentina, India, Nepal, Peru and throughout New England. This show begins at 7:30pm and will be held at the KVFD fire hall on Market Street, just down the street from Keene Central School in Keene Valley. Entry is $10 at the door.
For more information visit the Mountainfest 2009 web page.
I asked Katharine Preston of Essex five questions about her Ecology Ministry. Katharine came to the North Country almost four years ago from the Boston area but she has been coming to her family's camp in the High Peaks for almost 60 years. You can reach her at katharine.preston@gmail.com.
AA: What is an "ecology ministry"?
KP: An Ecology Ministry is a lay ecumenical ministry of creation awareness and care with particular concern for the social justice ramifications of climate change. I am particularly influenced by reputable science, a more inclusive understanding of God’s love for all of creation (not just humans) and the compassion for justice modeled by Jesus. I seek to help others sort through the prophetic and pastoral implications of this.
AA: What is your background?
KP: I received a Master of Divinity degree in May, 2000 from Andover Newton Theological School, in Newton, MA, where I studied and explored the integration of ecological concepts with theology, ethics, biblical studies and pastoral counseling. I also hold a Master of Forest Science from Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and spent 20 years working for government, non-profits and academia in the environmental field.
AA: What denomination is your ministry?
KP: I like to think of it as non-denominational, as we are all in this together and such divisions seem superfluous to me, given the peril of the planet.
AA: What does your ministry look like (congregation, building)?
No congregation or building. The ministry is my work: guest preaching, workshops and writing.
AA: What are most pressing issues facing faith based communities with regards to ecology?
The same as the rest of the human community and the planet: climate change. For the record - this is intimately tied up with the economic crisis. The two "ecos" are interrelated. An integrated response, such as a "Green New Deal" will be the most successful on all fronts.
The warnings from scientists and environmentalists seem to have had little effect toward transforming the consciousness of humans as to the changes needed. As communities of faith, we bring an indispensable and strong moral authority to the table. Although there are differences in theology and worship, all major religions agree on certain moral tenants such as the sacredness of the earth and concern for the less fortunate. We need to work together to help.
There is a lot to be done, and not much time before the planet as we know it is radically changed. In the north country, there are things we will be very sad to see go, like snow cover for half the winter or maples trees. But for others, it is already a matter of life or death.
The survival of the North Country's economy -- both in New York and New England -- is the topic of the Rockefeller Institute of Government Public Policy Forum on Nov. 24 at the Institute, located at 411 State Street. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at noon.
New York's six-million-acre Adirondack Park is part of a 70-million-acre contiguous forest running from the coast of Maine to the Tug Hill Plateau, just west of the Adirondack Park. The rural communities Northern Forest share a common heritage and common economic challenges in the years ahead.
Rob Riley, president of the Northern Forest Center in Concord, NH, will deliver a presentation on the center’s recent report: Strategy and Recommendations for Economic Resurgence in the Northern Forest. The report includes recommendations to create economic and community development strategies across the region to reinvigorate the rural economies of the Northern Forest.
The panel discussing the report includes: Brian L. Houseal, executive director of the Adirondack Council; Joe Short, from the Sustainable Economies Initiative at the Northern Forest Center; and Todd L. Shimkus, president and CEO of the Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce.
Susan Arbetter, host of WMHT-TV’s weekly New York Now, will be guest moderator.
To read the Northern Forest Center’s report, visit: http://www.northernforest.org/economic-strategy.shtml
Athletes from around the world are at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid preparing for the America’s Cup Bobsled and Skeleton competition which begins Thursday. America’s Cup features men’s and women’s skeleton, as well as 2-man, 4-man and women’s bobsled. Many of these athletes are up-and-comers looking to gain sliding experience with their sights set on making their respective Olympic teams for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Vancouver.
Schedule for America’s Cup competition in Lake Placid:
Thursday, November 20
Women’s Bobsled and 2-Man Bobsled Race #1 @1 PM
Friday, November 21
Men’s & Women’s Skeleton Race #1 @9 AM
Women’s Bobsled and 2-Man Bobsled Race #2 @1 PM
Saturday, November 22
Men’s & Women’s Skeleton Race #2 @9 AM
4-Man Bobsled Race #1 @1:30 PM
Sunday, November 23
4-Man Bobsled Race #2 @9 AM
Well it's over for today, but it's clear that it's not over forever. I think it's fair to say that there was a collective sense that the Adirondack region is a unique place to lay out a framework to achieve local, national, and international changes in attitudes, policies, and our cultural and natural economies. One of the conference leaders (Howard Fish) put it succinctly when he said that residents of natural places like the Adirondacks play a critical role in ensuring both the survival of the world's natural places and sustainable urban and suburban environments - the world looks to us to lead the way to, as the Adirondack region has for more then a century, coexistence between the natural and the human made world.
Here a few of the more important priorities that will likely be included in the draft Adirondack Climate Action Plan:
Education / Outreach / Clearinghouse of Technical Information
Improving Building Codes to Reflect Carbon Concerns
Incentivising / Creative Financing of Efficiency Retrofits
Advancing (Appropriate Scale) Local Energy Production for Local Consumption
Adopting Smart Growth Standards Across the Park
Promoting Alternative Energy Usage
Facilitating Local Green Business and Local Green Branding
Implementing Climate Change Research, Assessment, and Monitoring
Promoting Management of Our Adirondack Carbon Sink
Building Resiliency to Climate Change Through Local Planning / Action
Those were the ideas that seem to rise to the top. There were a lot more that will be incorporated into the draft action plan.
The three top priorities and three ways we're moving forward:
Retrofitting Residences
Energy $mart Initiative will Approach 26 Communities Over the next year.
Clearing House / Education
There will be a new web site that hopes to be comprehensive on this issue in this region: WWW.ADKCAP.ORG
Leadership
Thirteen volunteers will form a steering committee to keep us on track and moving forward with the writing of the draft Adirondack Climate Action Plan.
Two final points:
The Seattle Climate Action Plan took two years to put together, so our task is going to be long but promises to be ecologically and economically rewarding for all Adirondack residents. We are looking at having a good draft document within a year.
An important point I think we've come away with is the notion that the Adirondack Forest, regardless of the value we ascribed to it before, now seems even more valuable as a carbon sink and nationally important precedent. Thankfully, it looks like local residents will lead the way to our climate future, whatever that may be, and that in itself is the most significant outcome of our little meeting here in Tupper Lake.
One of the interesting things to come out of this morning's presentations was the idea that we need to involve all residents. In particular for municipalities that means fire, ambulance, police, and highway departments. After all, they, along with the local library and town hall, are often one of the single biggest energy users in many small towns. I'm afraid that aside from planning departments and some local government types, these folks have been absent from our discussions over the last day and half - that's a testament to the need for better local education.
One of the things that really struck me came from Rhett Lamb, the Planning Director of the City of Keene, NH when he said "historic preservation people are our best friend." It makes perfect sense. The carbon footprint of an old building must be better then starting from scratch, even with the cost of efficiency retrofits. The last thing we want to do is tear down old buildings and send them to the landfill, when we could reuse them and refit them with new technologies.
Check out the National Trust for Historic Preservation's blog post "Combining Sustainability with Historic Conservation: the English Experience." Here is quite a sentence: Decades of neglect and little investment leads to slum clearance and wholesale redevelopment, while whole life costing tied to embodied carbon modeling has been using carbon calculations (15-20 years) assigned by bankers and investors that are likely less than the true value of our material culture. In terms of ecological sustainability, models suggest that melting ice caps will cause a breach of the Thames and catastrophic flooding of London.
Now that's something historic preservationists need to be concerned with. The National Trust has been evaluating their properties with regards to climate for a number of years. Here's more:In England, they are specifically identifying impacts to their properties from warmer temperatures, drought, coastal erosion, storms, flash floods and heavy rainfall. At Stourhead in Wiltshire, for example, a very wet summer followed by a crisp, frosty winter led to a “soup of green algae” in their bucolic lake. It should be noted though that it wasn’t climate change alone that caused this algal bloom. The nitrogen run-off from synthetic fertilizers used in the region combined with the unusual rainfall have presented the perfect conditions for the algae growth – a sort of one/two whammy from human impact. One of the most arresting images, was the slide of historic cottages dropping off the side of cliffs in Cornwall as coastal erosion overwhelms the coastline. Again and again, Sarah showed devastation at their properties which may have been caused by increased rainfall but was often exacerbated by irresponsible land use.
There is a lot more. Check it out before you give Adirondack Architectural Heritage a call.
The National Trust is taking direct action to mitigate these impacts, wherever it is reasonably possible. These efforts include:
1. Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases: Changing to low energy lightbulbs including the ubiquitous CFLs. But they’ve gone one step further by working directly with light bulb manufacturers to develop new low energy bulbs for their historic fixtures.
2. Improve energy efficiency of their buildings: Here, because of their massive landholdings, they are actually able to use their own sheep to produce thermafleece for insulation, for example.
3. Reduce carbon footprint: They are evaluating their fuel sources, changing to more efficient boilers (often developed by German companies) and avoiding the use of electricity from non-renewable resources.
4. Generate energy on site: They have begun using thermal and photovoltaics at many of their sites including directly on the roofs of some of the Grade 2 listed buildings. And on support buildings of lesser importance at some of their sites, they have begun installing the PV slates.
5. Reduce embodied energy: In an effort that Sarah calls “slow conservation” (which she compared to the “slow” food movement) they are looking to building new construction in ways more sympathetic to the environment.
In order to adapt to these climate induced changes, the National Trust is looking at short, medium and long term adaptations such as installing larger gutters, going back to traditional practices (these were often done for good reason) and most importantly, managing properties better with cyclical maintenance programs.
More this afternoon.
I'm back at the Wild Center climate conference today. One of the highlights of this morning was hearing from the 80-year-old town supervisor of the Town of Franklin on that tiny town's climate program. Another was a presentation from the City of Keene, New Hampshire about a climate program they established in 1999 that is really bearing tremendous fruit in financial savings, and raised awareness of the public and local officials.
The highlight of the morning was one of the shortest presentations on the results of a year's worth of research (supported by the Wild Center and the Association to Protect the Adirondacks Energy $mart Park Initiative) to establish a baseline of just what exactly our region's greenhouse gas emissions are. I will post a link to the full draft asap.
Compared to the rest of the United States, we look pretty good, but there is some question about whether or not our actual impacts are reflected in the study. We know what we're doing here for instance, but what about the impacts of goods and service that originate outside the blue line but are consumed here?
Here is what the study found with regard to where our biggest emissions are coming from:
38% Transportation - this category well outpaces the national average of 28%. Obviously, our geographic situation makes this one of our more difficult areas. Denser development, focused public transportation programs, and walkable, skiable, and bikeable hamlets could all help in this area, as would converting municipal fleets to biodiesel and hybrid / electric.
29% Residential - we are much higher than the national average (17%) mainly because of the high use of bulk fuels, very dirty and inefficient electric heating, and old housing stock. This makes us a perfect candidate for weatherization programs, which, due to our cold climate would improve the payback.
21% Industrial - a large portion of this comes from one plant, the International Paper plant in Ticonderoga. we are below the national average in this category (29%) for obvious reasons. It should be noted again, that this does not reflect industrial operations carried on outside the Blue Line that are consumed here.
Our per capita greenhouse gas emissions are, as expected, high for the rest of the world, but lower than the national average:
US 23.6 metric tons per year
ADK 17.5
Germany 12.3
UK 11.1
France 8.7
China 3.9
India 1.8
Another interesting fact is that it's believed that about 25% of our emissions are sequestered in the great carbon sink that the Adirondack forest provides. One commenter went so far as to say that the Adirondacks "should be receiving carbon offsets."
More to come.
Here is a press release from the Wild Center on the report on Adirondack climate change impacts which was first posted here at the Almanack earlier today. I've been live blogging the Wild Center's climate conference today and will continue tomorrow - you can read all the posts here (start from the bottom).
From the Wild Center:
An advance edition of a sixty-two page report detailing potentially radical shifts in the ecology and economy of the Adirondack region was released today as part of a climate change conference held at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. The document was produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society, and authored by Jerry Jenkins, with support from The Wild Center and The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.Here is a link to the pdf of the 62-page report. I'm looking forward to seeing the action plan. More tomorrow. Read More......
The report analyzed data from the Adirondacks and looked at projected changes based on a range of peer-reviewed climate change models. The report states that even if fossil fuel use were immediately reduced, the upstate New York region would still experience a warming of about six degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. The report details a recent rise in temperatures in the Adirondacks.
Highlights of the report include:
* Significant change is already happening. Compared to thirty years ago, the Adirondacks are warmer and wetter, with longer springs and falls and shorter winters. Over the last century northern New York spring and summer temperatures have increased by about 2 degrees, and winter temperatures by about 5 degrees. Total precipitation has increased, and is about 13% greater than it was in 1960.
* The Adirondack seasons as they are currently known are undergoing major changes. In the last forty years, average winter temperatures have increased at a rate of 8.8 degrees per century. As a part of the general warming, the last frosts are coming about a week earlier in the spring and the first frosts about a week later in the fall than they did fifty years ago. The report predicts a possible radical drop in snow cover in the Adirondacks, with less than 45 days with snow on the ground in winter.
* Loss of ice cover on Adirondack lakes. The report tracks ice cover on Lake Champlain that shows a dramatic increase in the number of times the lakes failed to freeze over the past forty years. The lake remained open just three times between 1816 and 1916. The lake now remains open two winters out of every five.
* Potential loss of plant species. The report outlines a major and rapid shift in plant life, and a decrease in many signature tree species including maple, spruce and fir from the projected five degree rise in average temperatures.
* Bird species have shifted their ranges north. The report states that in New York State 25 new breeding birds have arrived in the past century; 13 in northern New York, and 9 in the Adirondack interior. The Adirondacks provide habitat for highly specialized species including Lincoln’s sparrow, gray jay, Bicknell’s thrush, spruce grouse, and the iconic common loon. Thirty-four Adirondack boreal birds are likely to disappear in the coming 30 years.
* Economic impacts. Winter recreation depends on cold weather and snow: the former is steadily decreasing and the latter is likely to do the same. Winter recreation is a major industry impacting many communities. Old Forge is the snowmobiling center of the Adirondacks, operating its own trail system and selling 10,000 trail passes each year. Seventy-eight of its 94 restaurants and inns stay open year round to support snowmobilers; 6 businesses sell, repair, or rent snowmobiles.
* The report also describes the science behind the role carbon pollution is playing in the current climate disruptions, and steps that can be taken to reduce levels of carbon pollution, including steps by individuals.
The climate conference where the report was issued is looking at ways Adirondack leaders can respond to climate change. Officially titled The American Response to Climate Change – The Adirondack Model: Using Climate Change Solutions to Restore a Rural American Economy, the conference will continue tomorrow. More than 190 national and regional leaders are gathered at The Wild Center to draft a plan to reduce the role of carbon on the Adirondack economy, and improve the region’s job and economic outlook through a new approach to energy. The effort, seeking to address a region the size of Massachusetts, is one of the largest such efforts in the United States.
A full report, the Adirondack Climate Action Plan, or ADK CAP will be issued after the conference. The final draft of the report on climate impacts in the Adirondacks is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2009.
First a note - the Jenkins report I mentioned in my first post here is now available at http://www.usclimateaction.org/userfiles/JenkinsBook.pdf - it's a must read for its unique insight to the climate change challenges we have here in the Adirondacks.
Now for an update. I decided to sit in on the Alternative Fuels and Small Scale Power Generation workshop. There were about 30 people in the group and I was surprised how smoothly the discussion went. There were folks from all walks of Adirondack life: state, county, and town and village government, planners, builders and developers, educators and students, green business professionals, and simple residents with an interest. Among the groups who were represented (well actually not represented, but folks from these organizations were in attendance): the Adirondack Park Agency, St. Lawrence University, Paul Smiths, SUNY-ESF, Lake Placid High School, Houghton College, Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, and many more.
We heard first from Amanda Lavigne of St. Lawrence University who provided us with lots of background information. We then characterized the problem as "what alternative fuels and power options are available to Adirondack Park residents that can reduce the rising economic impacts of home heating and transportation while minimizing carbon emissions and the impacts of climate change."
Finally, we made a list of potential priorities including things like broadly incentivising alternative energy, creating a clearinghouse for information and technical assistance, encouraging appropriate scale local energy production for local consumption in a decentralized distributive manner, and many more.
Tomorrow we'll be focusing on laying out a one year action plan for our group, and then we'll be bringing it together with the rest of the other groups Wednesday afternoon.
More tomorrow.
Carter Bales, Co-Chair of the American Response to Climate Change National Conference, just gave a talk on what a national approach to greenhouse gas reductions might look like. "It's difficult to be optimistic," Bales said, noting also that it would require "a mobilization of the nation not seen since World War Two." He said that provided the misinformation campaign of the Exxons and the coal producers fails, and the new Obama administration is serious, there "could be legislation may by 2011" and it may become effective by 2015." "There is hope" he said, "but time is not our friend."
Generally speaking Bales said a four pronged action plan was necessary:
1 - a cap on carbon emissions
2 - raising efficiencies
3 - supporting deployment of new technologies and solutions
4 - addressing sections of the economy not included in the carbon cap (like ag and forestry)
Bales laid out five areas where differences could be made:
Building and Appliances (advanced lighting, electronic equipment, building shell / green building improvements). He called for a "new generation of appliances using half the energy of today."
Transportation (biofuels, fuel economy improvements, advanced propulsion systems). Bales said gas would be $14 gallon if not for "peace keeping" and subsidies.
Industry (recovery of non CO2 green house gases from industrial processes, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency). Bales said that carbon capture and storage is "a complete nightmare, it either isn't going to happen or it isn't going to happen for a long time."
Carbon Sinks (Afforestation of underutilized pasture and crop land, better forest management, alternative agricultural practices such as winter cover crops, conservation tillage). Bales noted that our carbon emissions in the US average about 20 tons per person; in India, it's 1.5 tons per person. He also noted the important role of forested areas as carbon sinks. Guyana, he pointed out, has negative carbon emissions per person thanks to their large rainforest. "We should be paying Guyana to keep its rainforest standing," he said adding that it would cost less than $5 a per ton of carbon emissions.
Power (expanding low carbon generation including carbon capture and storage for coal, developing wind and solar, and improving power plant efficiencies). "Natural gas is at best a transitional strategy," he said, adding that "without fixing our power generation you're not going to fix the problem."
Bales also suggested a number of economic benefits from the transition to a low carbon economy:
1 - many existing industries (such as energy services) will boom especially as off-shoring is reduced and local production and servicing comes to the fore.
2 - new industries and businesses will form (particularly around efficiency retooling and green technologies).
3 - energy efficiency will save money for consumers directly.
4 - "peaking power" used at times of peak power demand will be reduced ("peaking power" is dirtier and more expensive)
5 - economies in rural areas (!!) will benefit from renewable energy technologies including wind and biomass.
One important thing for our region that Bales said was that there needs to be discussions on putting a value on standing carbon sinks like the Adirondack forests.
So far the conference is going well and putting together an Adirondack Climate Action Plan looks closer to reality then ever before. This afternoon smaller groups will meet and workshop over the following topics:
Energy Efficient Buildings & Contractor Preparedness
Alternative Fuels & Biofuels, Small Scale Power Generation
Local 'Green' Economic Development and The role of Government
Natural Ecosystems and The Role of Adirondack Lands and Forests in Carbon Mitigation
So many questions are going through my mind that it's difficult to decide on which session.
What are the plans for getting the big real estate developers on board? After all, construction is a huge segment of our economy.
Does small scale power generation mean a distributed network? Small scale solar, water, and wind everywhere? Does it mean the kind of industrialization of our mountaintops and ridges like that proposed for the wind project in Johnsburg?
How does the tourism industry get on board? Does green economic development mean finally capitalizing on the Adirondacks potential as a green tourism destination?
Does the Adirondack sink mean that money will flow from government and industry coffers into the region in the future? Aren't we in the Adirondacks like Guyana, at least a little bit?
So many questions, and I can only get to one workshop.
More at the end of the day.
A first for the Almanack. Today and tomorrow I'll be attending the Wild Center's climate change conference here in Tupper Lake and blogging what I hear, see, and learn.
Just pulling into the Wild Center from my drive over I was heartened to see a line of hybrids - mostly Toyotas, but a few Hondas as well - it's clear that the crowd that has gathered here is already in the choir.
The sense so far from the speakers has been that the challenge of checking human-made global warming is daunting, depressing, lacking inertia, distracted by economics and politics, but doable.
The highlight of this morning's talks was Jerry Jenkins (Forest Issues Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program and author of The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park
Here are some notes from Jenkins' talk, much of which is based on a new report [pdf] that will soon be issued by the Wild Center and the Wildlife Conservation Society. he showed a lot of charts, which will be invaluable to Adirondackers interested in the local impacts of global warming.
In general, there have been more noticeable mean temperature changes (increases) in the winter and summer, although the whole region is warming (Lake Champlain is warming, the growing season is getting longer, and birds are arriving sooner). The high limit of projections from 30 years ago (5 degrees f over 100 years mean) is already nearly being reached. Meanwhile, our energy consumption is "wildly out of scale" with what we can produce using renewable resources.
The impact on snowfall is still not clear. Jenkins called the local winter sports industry as a historical, cultural, and economic system "more complicated than an Adirondack bog." "We don't know what snowfall is doing," Jenkins added, pointing to the incomplete data over the last fifty years. General models point to a "loss of most snow cover" by 2100. He also said that he is working more serious on this issue now.
If the trends continue, and we reach ten degrees of warming by 2040, our temperature environment will be more like that of West Virginia. This will put us out of the boreal (broadly defined) spruce-fir forest limit and those forest communities are most at risk. Jenkins was quick to point out that "it will never be West Virginia" but the comparison is a "good analog for thinking."
Spruce-fir forest communities already near the southern limit of their territory that are most at risk of being seriously altered include large boreal bogs, open alluvial wetlands and open river shores (like those in Warrensburg on the Hudson that require ice for their maintenance). Of course there would also be an attendant large loss of species like loons, moose, spruce grouse, pine martin, Bicknell's thrush, grasses, sedges, trees, birds, ferns, clubmosses, shrubs, and herbs.
"By the end of the century most all of our Adirondack trees will be outside their zone of preference," Jenkins said, adding that they could be replaced by more southern species like Red Oak, Chestnut Oak, Magnolia, Tulip Poplar, etc., but trees only seem to move about 20 miles per century and most of those species are farther away. As a result, it's just not clear what will happen. Some species have a better shot because they grow like weeds in disturbed soils - Aspen and Balsam Fir are notable - but Jenkins had a dire warning for Maple, saying in a Q and A session afterward that he would "bet against Maple."
More after lunch.
Starting this month, I will begin offering (verbatim) the Adirondack Park Agency's monthly meeting summaries. You can find all of the summaries by clicking on "APA Meeting Summaries" below.
During its deliberations on Friday, November 14, 2008 the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) approved a cellular project in the Town of Keene, Essex County. The Agency authorized an energy policy which integrates concerns for energy supply, conservation, and efficiency into the Agency’s Park planning, public education and project review functions. The Agency also adopted regulatory reform which addresses subdivisions involving wetlands, expansion of non-conforming shoreline structures, land division along roads or right of ways owned in fee and clarified definitions for floor space and hunting and fishing cabins.
Verizon Wireless Cellular Project, Town of Keene
The Agency approved a cellular tower southeast of the hamlet of Keene along State Route 73. The tower will provide cellular service throughout most of the hamlet of Keene and help infill coverage along 73 north to Lake Placid. Coverage will extend into the hamlet of Keene Valley.
The project involves construction of a new 79 foot tower behind the gravel pit east of NYS Routes 9N and 73. The site is adjacent to the Town of Keene’s water tank and will be accessed from an existing dirt road. The tower will include a ten foot lightening rod for a total height of 89 feet. Verizon will paint the tower and antennas a dark charcoal or a black color to minimize its visual appearance. The color and project site, which includes a vegetative and topographical backdrop, ensures substantial invisibility and compliance to the Agency’s Telecommunications and Tall Structures Policy.
Agency Endorses Policy on Energy Supply, Conservation and Efficiency
The Park Agency approved a forward thinking policy that sets forth general principals for consideration of energy concerns inside the Adirondack Park. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to Agency staff, Park stakeholders and permit applicants regarding the APA’s exercise of its responsibilities under the APA Act and the State Environmental Quality Review Act for energy supply, conservation and efficiency. The policy is intended to protect Adirondack Park resources while recognizing that energy conservation is critical to sustainable communities within the Park.
The Energy policy considers public and private concern for current energy use and conservation, climate change, fossil fuel consumption, acid rain and development sprawl impacts. The policy will address the cumulative effects of energy consumption on the Park’s natural resources and the need to continue to develop clean, reliable and affordable energy supplies. It is consistent with State efforts to address climate change, state energy use, sustainable communities and smart growth.
Staff will work in partnership with applicants during pre-application meetings to incorporate policy guidelines ensuring projects adhere to existing New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code requirements. Large-scale subdivision projects will be encouraged to exceed the minimum requirements of the State’s Energy Code.
The policy also directs the Agency to improve public awareness by serving as a forum on energy related issues. To meet this goal the Agency will use its Visitor Interpretative Centers and websites to promote greater awareness for energy conservation and sustainable building practices. Please see the APA website @ www.apa.state.ny.us for energy resources.
Regulatory Revisions
The Agency adopted five proposed revisions to its rules and regulations. Revisions were approved for: (1) wetland subdivision; (2) expansion of non-conforming shoreline structures; (3) land division along roads or rights-of-way; (4) definition of “floor space”; and (5) definition of “hunting and fishing cabin”. These involve new or amended definitions and companion changes to sections of the Agency’s regulations in Parts 570, 573, 575 and 578 of 9 NYCRR Subtitle Q. The revisions will apply to future Agency determinations and are expected to take effect on December 31, 2008.
The record for this rule making began in 2003 when the topics were first addressed by the Agency and Park stakeholders. It involved extensive interaction with all affected stakeholders over the following years. In August 2008, the Agency provided notice of the rulemaking and posted related documents to its website. In October, it conducted public hearings including one hearing outside of the Park to solicit public comment.
The Agency regulatory reform effort: (1) clarifies existing regulatory language; (2) expedites delivery of services to the public; (3) introduces more consistency, uniformity and predictability into Agency administration and decision making consistent with governing statutes, and (4) improves regulatory, advisory, and educational functions.
The Agency deleted provisions allowing unlimited expansion of pre-existing non-conforming shoreline residential structures located within the setback area established by Section 806 of the APA Act. As a result, most expansions will require a variance, similar to the variance required by many municipalities for non-conforming structures under local zoning. The right to replace pre-existing structures is unaffected by the revision, and in the eighteen towns with Agency-approved local land use programs, these variances will continue to be administered by the local zoning boards. In other situations, landowners will need to consult the Agency regarding the variance requirement. The definition revisions for “Floor Space” and “Hunting and Fishing Cabins” establish structure criteria that provide clarity and consistency for jurisdictional determinations.
Adopted changes to “subdivisions involving wetlands” remove long recognized unintended consequences that ensnare individuals in inadvertent violation of the law and often resulted in the creation of lots with no development potential, solely to avoid APA jurisdiction. The adopted regulation carefully tailors jurisdiction to the potential for impacts to the wetlands protected by the statutes.
Years ago, you simply didn't see wild turkeys unless you were lucky. The birds were abundant in New York forest in colonial times but by the early 1800s had been all but hunted out. According to SUNY-ESF:
Reports indicate that wild turkeys were abundant in New York State during the 1600's. However, the combination of uncontrolled hunting and the intensive clearing of forests resulted in the demise of native populations. In 1844, the last recorded observation of native wild turkeys came from extreme southwestern New York State.
For over a century, the wild turkey continued to be absent from the New York landscape. However, in the late 1940's, wild turkeys had moved northward from Pennsylvania and were reported again in southwestern New York. Wild turkeys were re-established in New York by 1957, but occupied only the extreme southwest portion of the state. During the same year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began relocating birds to areas of the state that were capable of sustaining wild turkey populations.
The return of the wild turkey to New York State is truly a success story in the field of wildlife conservation. Wild turkey populations in New York have increased dramatically from an estimated 2,000 in 1959 to over 65,000 in 1990.
In early September, the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake sent out a "Call for Quilts," searching for exceptional quilts, comforters, or pieced wall hangings made after 1970, used in, inspired by, or depicting the Adirondack region. The goal was to identify outstanding contemporary pieced textiles to be in included in a new exhibit, "Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters" which will open in May 2009.
Quilters across the North Country responded. The museum received fifty-two quilts for consideration, representing the work of thirty-seven quilters.
A panel of three quilters and quilting scholars selected pieces for the exhibit. They included: Edith Mitchell, quilt maker, quilting teacher, and founding owner of Blue Mountain Designs; Shirley Hewitt Ware, Family and Consumer Science educator and organizer of the Adirondack Park Centennial Quilt Exhibit held in 1992; and Lee Kogan, Curator of Public Programs and Special Exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
Fifteen contemporary quilts or wall hangings will be displayed in the new exhibition. The quilters and their work include: Sherry Matthews, Piseco, N.Y, "Adirondack Fall; "Linda Zila, Chestertown, N.Y., "Change in the Wind;" Rosemary Goliber, Indian Lake, N.Y., "Cedar River;" North Country Crafters, Indian Lake, N.Y., "Indian Lake" (Sesquicentennial); Fifty-six friends of Terry and Diane Perkins, "Housewarming Quilt;" Schroon Lake Central School, "Class of 2008 Group Quilt."
Also: Louisa Woodworth, Long Lake, N.Y., "A Sight for Sore Eyes;" Kris Gregson Moss, Queensbury, N.Y., "The Wind Embracing the Tree;" Anne Smith, St. Regis Falls, N.Y., "The Mad Fiddler:" Betty Walp, Chestertown, N.Y., "Black Bear;" Nancy DiDonato, Diamond Point, N.Y., "Home, Glorious Home;" Camp Sagamore Quilters, "Camp Sagamore Quilt;" Kathleen Towers, Wells, N.Y., "Giant Mountain, Keene Valley, "In My Mind's Eye;" Patty Farrell, Long Lake, N.Y., "Adirondack Nostalgia;" and Jacqueline Luke-Hayes, Booneville, N.Y., "Adirondack Fall."
The remaining quilters who submitted entries have been invited to exhibit their quilts in a special show as part of the Adirondack Museum's annual Adirondack Fabric and Fiber Arts Festival to be held on September 12, 2009.
The Adirondack region has nurtured a vibrant pieced-textile tradition for over a century and a half. From bedcovers, plain or fancy, meant to keep families warm through long Adirondack winters, to stunning art quilts of the twenty-first century, the quilts and comforters of the North Country mirror national trends and also tell a unique story of life in the mountains. "Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters" will include quilts for the Adirondack Museum's textile collection that are rarely on display.
I have a number of books that publishers have sent me for reviews and those will be on the way, but in the meantime, I thought I would take a look at what folks interested in the Adirondacks are reading. So here is what I discovered, the top ten Adirondack related books on Amazon:
#1 - Peter Bronski, At the Mercy of the Mountains: True Stories of Survival and Tragedy in New York's Adirondacks
#2 - Anne LaBastille, Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness
#3 - Bill McKibben, Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys)
#4 - Barbara McMartin, 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks: Short Walks, Day Trips, and Backpacks Throughout the Park, Fourth Edition
#5 - Tony Goodwin, Adirondack Trails High Peaks Region (Forest Preserve Series, V. 1)
#6 - Jerry C. Jenkins, The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park
#7 - Carl Heilman, The Adirondacks
#8 - Ralph Kylloe, Adirondack Home
#9 - Paul Schneider, The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness
#10 - Philip G. Terrie, Contested Terrain: A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks (A New Edition)
The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York has introduced the Harry G. Remington Adirondack History Writing Competition. Open to students in grades 9 - 12 in school districts wholly or partially within the Adirondack Park, the competition offers awards for the three best essays about an historical person, place, document, organization, time period, business, event, or location relating to a community or communities within or bordering the Park. The first place winner will receive $500, the second place winner $300, and the third place $200.
Essays must be 1500 to 2500 words in length and be the original work of the entrant. Entries must be received by or on March 1, 2009. The essays will be judged on originality of idea, quality of research, and the use of a variety of resources such as books, maps, publications, documents, photographs, oral history interviews, artifacts, or other historical resources.
A panel consisting of two members of the Adirondack Museum's professional staff and a history teacher from an eligible school will read and judge the essays. The winners of the essay competition will be announced on June 1, 2009. Awards will be presented at the student's school graduation and at the Adirondack Museum's annual Harold K. Hochschild Award ceremony in August 2009.
The Adirondack History Writing Competition is dedicated to the memory of Harry G. Remington whose love of the Adirondacks ran deep, nurtured by a lifetime of summers spent at his family camp in Franklin County. Remington's belief that history matters came from his family's own rich history. His grandfather, Ashbel Parmelee Fitch, was born in Mooers, N.Y. and became a prominent lawyer and New York City politician who once was challenged to a duel by an impulsive Theodore Roosevelt.
One of Fitch's grandfathers, Reverend Ashbel Parmelee, was the minister at the First Congregational Church of Malone, N.Y. for thirty-six years, served as a chaplain in the war of 1812 and at Clinton Prison in Dannamora, N.Y. According to local lore, his home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Fitch's other grandfather, Jabez Fitch Jr., was a licensed physician in Mooers who late in life became a physician at Clinton prison. Fitch's cousin, Morton Parmelee, was a Franklin County lumberman who became an unlikely public advocate for sustainable forestry and the preservation of
Adirondack forests during the 1880s and 1890s.
For additional information about the Harry G. Remington Adirondack History Writing Competition, please contact Christine Campeau, School Program Coordinator and Museum Educator at ccampeau@adkmuseum.org.
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.
Winter Project: Build A Kayak
Tame Your Google Calendar
Get Me Out of Here: Schedule Cell Phone Calls
Get Your Furnace Ready For Winter
Install A Water Saving Shower Shut-Off
Adirondack Hacks is an occasional feature of Adirondack Almanack. Take a look at our Adirondack Hacks archive here.
The deadline to purchase discounted 2008-09 ski and ride season passes for Whiteface and Gore Mountains is November 14.
Skiers and riders may purchase an interchangeable non-holiday pass good at both Whiteface and Gore Mountains for $649. This pass for adults (ages 23-64) excludes the Christmas Week, Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, and Presidents’ Week holiday periods. Seniors (ages 65-69) may purchase the same pass at the same price at any time for just $399. The adult full season pass is $799 and increases to $959 on November 15. Young adult (13-22) full season passes are available for $335, and junior full season passes are only $275 through Nov. 14. The prices increase to $449 for the young adult pass and $375 for the junior pass starting Nov. 15.
Seniors 70 and over and children six and under pay just $40 for a full season pass until Nov. 14, with the price increasing $10 thereafter.
Kids Kampus is once again offering membership into the Cloudsplitter Club and Cloudsplitter Teen Club. The Cloudsplitter Club is for children ages 7-12 while the Teen Club is for teenagers 13-16, regardless of ability. Both clubs are committed to the development of young skiers and riders and focus on safety, fun and learning. The program coaching staff will focus on mileage and the non-competitive aspect of skiing and snowboarding to instill a love for the sport. Cloudsplitter Club membership is $1,020, while the Cloudsplitter Teen Club is $1,095 until Nov. 14.
The popular Snow Sampler – a group of four interchangeable Gore/Whiteface lift tickets that can be used at any time during the season – is just $225 until December 14. The Snow Sampler is not available for purchase after that date.
Whiteface will also offer time-honored programs such as the Play-n-Ski for children at Kids Kampus, the Snowboomers Club for the young at heart, NASTAR season passes and much more.
In addition, season passes for cross country skiing at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and skating on the Olympic Oval may be purchased at the same time.
The full menu of passes and programs, payment deadlines and online store may be found at www.whiteface.com or www.goremountain.com. Most items may be purchased online, or people may contact the mountains directly.
For a complete listing of ORDA activities, venue-by-venue, and web cams from five locations, please log on to www.orda.org.
The Wild Center has unveiled final plans for the Adirondack Climate gathering, describing the economic focus of the event. The conference, open to the public, will take place November 18 and 19 at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Officially titled ‘The American Response to Climate Change - The Adirondack Model: Using Climate Change Solutions to Restore a Rural American Economy,’ the event has been in the planning stages for more than a year. The Conference will include the release of a major study by the Wildlife Conservation Society compiling information on the current impacts of climate change on the Adirondacks and showing detailed projections for the region in the near future.
The goal of the Conference according to organizers is to develop a local plan to boost the region’s economy in a world changed by climate related economics. Mickey Desmarais, who is the Mayor of Tupper Lake, is part of the Conference planning team. “We are all in agreement that new type of green power production is exciting,” he said, “but the biggest and most effective thing we can all do is to conserve what we have. It has to be done at every level, town, village, and in each and every home. We have never had this cost incentive before–-now we do and we are paying attention. We need to keep educating ourselves and the discussion at the conference will help us do that. We know our winter weather is more severe than other parts of the state so that is all the more reason to be smarter about energy. ”
The Adirondack Conference will include groups focused on energy-efficient buildings that will reduce area energy bills and create new jobs through retrofits of existing buildings and new construction, alternative fuels including cellulosic biofuels and forest by-products, small scale power generation technologies and how they could be developed in the region, the development of new local businesses that will benefit from the expected new cap on national carbon emissions, and the role of natural resources, such as clean water and forests. With water shortages predicted by many climate models, the Adirondack supply may have special future value. There is more information about the conference at its official website, www.usclimateaction.org.
“Many of us think this is the best place in the world to live and raise families,” said Ann Heidenreich, Executive Director of Community Energy Services and another of the Conference organizers. “The people here know how to do things. We like to be independent, we get things done ourselves. I don’t see any reason in the world that we can’t get together as Adirondackers and take this opportunity to have the rest of the country say, ‘wow, those guys figured it out.’ I think we can figure out how to put energy money back into our own neighborhoods instead of sending it to Canada or Saudi Arabia for oil.”
Kate Fish, a Lake Placid resident who is Conference Director for both the National and Adirondack Conferences, said that the Adirondack gathering could have immediate impact, and said that many grassroots organizations were already helping to boost the region. “There is something big already happening here. People are looking into the future and seeing that the age of cheap energy is over – that means a possible new day for local food, for locally-generated electricity, for local materials that used to be priced out of the market because it was cheaper to truck something from Mexico than to buy it from a local maker, and when all that changes, a place like the Adirondacks could actually come out ahead.” She cited a study that says that every dollar spent locally circulates between 5 and 14 times in the local community. Fish said that last year Essex County residents alone spent $15 million on fuel oil to heat their homes, 70 percent of it imported. “That’s a lot of money to send away, and a lot that could be invested it in local power generation or savings.”
Stephanie Ratcliffe is executive director of The Wild Center where the idea for the national climate conference held last June and the regional conference was created. Ratcliffe says the conferences were custom-made for the new Museum. “We’re here in part so people can come together to dig into ideas that are important for how the Adirondacks work. We do need a better economy here, and we don’t need a snowless winter. The Adirondack idea of people living with nature works when our kids don’t have to move away to find jobs, and when we can still swim in clean lakes, this Conference gets at both those issues.”
The Adirondack Conference will take place after the election. “Washington won’t start to move until 2009,” said Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers, one of the Conference co-chairs. “The more you look at this the more you see two things. We actually can do this. We can become more independent, and then you see that we’re in great shape to be out in front in the Adirondacks. We don’t have billions of dollars of skyscrapers that all have to be redone. I think of someone in New York City trying to get local food, or a local hydro dam or cutting the waste in their water system, boy it would be tough. We’ve already cut our electric use in Lake Placid by enlisting the scouts to sell energy efficient light bulbs instead of candy.”
The Adirondack Conference will be attended by members of the following businesses, academic institutions, and organizations: New York State Tug Hill Commission, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Wildlife Conservations Society, The Nature Conservancy, Adirondack Park Agency, New York State Department of State, Workforce Development Institute, Adirondack Community Housing Trust, Adirondack Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, SUNY – ESF, St. Lawrence University, Houghton College, Hamilton College, Paul Smith’s College, Community Power Network, Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, Adirondack Mountain Club, Energy $mart Park Initiative, and the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks.
The Conference is open to the public. To register, please visit www.usclimateaction.org
A hat tip to ADKhunter.com for these news items for Adirondack hunters:
Peter Schoonmaker, author of Seasonal Drift: Adirondack Hunts & Wilderness Tales
Old Hunting Camp Photos, Film, & Video Wanted: Local film company On Track Production will be producing a documentary on Adirondack Deer Camps for Mountain Lakes PBS. If you have old home movies or photos of Adirondack hunting camps, contact them or adkhunter.com.
Donate Your Deer Hide: A Saratoga-area synagogue is looking for deer hide donations to make into a parchment Torah scroll. Any size hides in good shape can be used. Contact Rabbi Linda at 518-587-0160.
USA Hockey and the Olympic Regional Development Authority will host a pair of international tournaments simultaneously at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Nov. 4-9, 2008. The Women's Four Nations Cup will feature the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden, while the Men's Under-18 Four Nations Cup will highlight the United States, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
The majority of the games will take place in the 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena, the location of the historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. The remainder of the games will also take place in the Olympic Center, at the 1932 Arena.
Both tournaments will get underway Tues., November 4, with the men's championship games set for Sat., November 8, and the women's championship games to take place Sun., November 9.
On the men's side, the U.S. National Under-18 Team will take part in the event, which is part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. For the women, the U.S. Women's Select Team will play in the tournament.
