The Adirondack Hamlets to Huts project, which incorporated in November, received its 501c3 status in April, making it an official nonprofit, Joe Dadey announced at the Adirondack Community-based Trails and Lodging System advisory committee meeting Tuesday. The organization’s mission is to create, manage and promote a world-class Adirondack hut-to-hut system that advances sustainable communities, conservation, and wellness.

This opens up new grant opportunities for the project, and once a website is developed and the group is registered with the New York Charities Bureau, it can begin reaching out for memberships, gifts and donations, Dadey said.

“It will help us advance our mission,” he said.

As for the name, Hamlets to Huts, there was discussion at Tuesday’s meeting about whether people know what hamlets are. Since the word is common in Adirondack communities, it seemed reflective of the hut-to-hut community-based system in the Adirondacks, Dadey said. And, a learning experience.

“We’re taking the approach of people will come to know what a hamlet is,” he said.

So what exactly is a hamlet? Generally, it’s a small community, often one that is not incorporated as village. In the Adirondack Park, hamlet has a special meaning. The Adirondack Park Agency’s Land Use and Development Plan identifies hamlets as those areas best suited for growth. They include villages and unincorporated communities.

“We recognize there’s going to be a learning curve,” Dadey said.

Map for Hamlet-to-Hut demonstration project for Long Lake. Photo by Tracy Ormsbee