New Adirondack Conservation Group Announced
by Editorial Staff
An advocacy and educational organization with historic roots in the 1940s will re-launch on Friday according to a press release issued today.
Organizers for the group Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, originally founded in 1945 by Adirondack wilderness advocate Paul Schaefer, say it will focus on the benefits of wild lands across the state, including Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondacks and Catskills. "Adirondack Wild will advocate when wild lands are threatened, be a strong partner to protect them, and train stewards to care for them," according to today's announcement.
The group "envisions a network of public and private lands which safeguard wild places, wildlife, older forests, entire watersheds, intact ecosystems, and their many values. The group will advance policy goals consistent with ecological and wilderness values, ethics, and principles," according to organizers.
A core partnership of David Gibson, Dan Plumley and Ken Rimany and Peter Brinkley are expected to focus on three goals: safeguarding the wild, extending the wild and educating for the wild. "Like-minded individuals are welcome, and invited to join us,” Brinkley said.
Gibson, a regular contributor to Adirondack Almanack, has been involved in Adirondack conservation for nearly 25 years, much of that time as Executive Director of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks and then as first Executive Director of Protect the Adirondacks. He contributes to the Almanack around issues of wilderness, wild lands, and public policy.
“Wild places are central to the human experience and spirit. They also have very significant local and regional economic impacts. They deserve a friends organization devoted to them, who will fight for them when necessary, and who will educate about them. That is our niche,” Gibson said. He and Plumley recently left Protect the Adirondacks and had indicated to local media that they might form a new organization.
The group’s website, www.adirondackwild.org, is being developed and will be operational in August, Gibson said.
“The cause is urgent. Tax payments on the Forest Preserve were at risk last year. Land protection priorities are at risk this year. The high standards demanded by the “Forever Wild” State Constitution are too often ignored," Gibson said. "Wild landscapes are fragmented and degraded by development, roads, and climate change. Children and adults yearn for ways to engage with wild places. New constituencies for the wild must be welcomed and informed."
The organization is expected to be funded by private donations and grants and operate from offices located inside the Blue Line in Keene and from regional offices in Ballston Lake and Niskayuna. Its Officers include Peter Brinkley, Thomas L. Cobb, Ph.D., Terry Jandreau and Anne Weld, all of whom have experience advocating for wild protected areas. The partners and Tom Cobb knew and worked with the organization’s original founder, Paul Schaefer. Schaefer, who died in 1996, was a champion of Adirondack wilderness for 65 years, and was recognized by Audubon as one of the foremost conservationists of the 20th century.
11 Comments:
Great. Just great. I imagine they will advance the socialist land acquisition collective ideal...
Wonderful.
Just what we need.
At least all these conservation groups use paper which support local jobs.
Until we are taxed out of our homes. Then labor for the elites will be brought into the park with clean efficient public transportation.
The servants must have no dirt under their fingernails. Hard working folks in the mountains won't qualify...
No paper unless it's green certified. In that case, it will have to be made by Finch Paper with wood they import from Maine (on diesel trucks)
Not another "environmental" group! They're ruining the Adrindacks! Please make it stop!
C'mon commentators, enough with the knee-jerking! Theoretically there could be a niche for another environmental organization. And look at the mention of tax payment cap (these are the taxes the state pays to local towns on the land it owns). I know every town and every landowner group felt that it would be an absolute disaster if that happened as the towns would have to press private landowners to pick up the slack from the state. That's an instance where "envrios" clearly had the exact same interests as you.
I've got to ask, if you don't think that the environment is important, what the heck are you folks doing in the Adirondacks? Do you spend your time indoors in front of the TV and don't care what's outside your door? Aren't some of you hunters and fisherman? In my lifetime I've seen dead lakes rapidly recover due in part to the efforts of groups like this.
Anyway, I'm interested in seeing how this group differentiates itself from the others. It sounds an awful lot like PROTECT! (Dang, that shrill exclamation point makes me cringe every time.)
Wow, someone's been watching a little too much Fox news. Since when was conservation a socialist agenda? If you like living in the ADKs, chances are its because you enjoy the wilderness aspect, which groups like this protect from exploitation and degradation. If these sort of groups bother you, maybe living within the blue line isn't a good idea. They are necessary to protect the wild nature and beauty that is the Adirondack Park. And guess what, your land is safe! No one will take it from you. So relax, sit back, and enjoy the beauty around you.
I think we're seeing frustration with the sate land ownership issue, and the negative consequences. By and large, the Forest Preserve concept has some benefits, but the drawbacks are fairly substantial. Hopefully a better plan can be made. Maybe the new group can help formulate a better plan.
I would like to share this information with your readers. This is why productive forests in the Adirondacks are so valuable. This notification is from one of the nation's largest label manufacturers:
Dear Valued Customer:
We have received notifications from all of our material suppliers that another round of price increases will soon be in effect. The reasons cited are cost increases of raw components. Paper pulp has risen due to the Chilean earthquake and restricted logging due to wet weather in the Southern United States and Europe. Films are globally at a very tight supply due to 2009 capacity shut downs. Adhesive prices have increased due to shortage of propylene and butadiene, which are used in adhesive polymers and hotmelts. Platinum, the main driver in silicone in release liners, has increased 77% since January 2009.
My point is this? How can anyone, with reason, want to remove forestland from production? Can't you see what this causes?
Interesting...these guys were seemingly tossed from their own groups for their garrulous ineptness. Verbose they are, but functional they're not. I'm an avid advocate of the environment, but this start-up, which I view almost exclusively as a means for these guys to find a revenue stream for their talking, will not see one cent of my money. I'm sure they'll find some suckers to fund the project, but my assumption is that those with insight won't pour funds at a poor program with a Disney logo.
There are lots of productive forests that could produce timber but don't because there is no market. Just because its we in the south and the situation in Chile doesn't mean someone is going to build new mills here. Companies are dumping their land at the speed of light because they see the writing on the walls. Adirondack timber will never compete with the faster growing maple cherry oak hardwoods in the southern tier and Pennsylvania. Softwood cannot compete with the south and west. There will be always be small local markets, but they can barely handle the wood coming out of the forests now. Ask any logger and they will tell you the mills aren't thirsty for wood.
Post a Comment