Almanack Contributor Rocci Aguirre

As Director of Conservation for the Adirondack Council, Rocci Aguirre is responsible for the design and implementation of the Council's conservation strategy. Rocci graduated from SUNY Cortland in 1995 and holds a MS in Resource Management and Conservation from Antioch University New England.

Rocci's connection to the Adirondacks goes back to his days as a student in Cortland's recreation department. When not fly fishing or hunting, Rocci can usually be found hiking in the woods looking for chanterelles or other delicious ingredients to add to the supper pot.


Monday, October 14, 2019

Advocates Seek Sentinel Range Management Plan Improvements

Adirondack Sentinel Range Wilderness Map courtesy Adirondack AtlasThe Adirondack Council on October 4th sent a letter to Adirondack Park Agency Deputy Director for Planning Richard Weber urging that the proposed Sentinel Range Wilderness Area Unit Management Plan be incorporated into a larger landscape-scale plan for all public and private lands around the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

The Council also urged the APA to improve its monitoring of impacts of recreation on the ecology and wild character of the Forest Preserve, especially in wilderness areas. As it does with other unit management plans, the APA must decide whether it complies with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Adirondack Council’s APA Meeting Comments

Adirondack Council logoThe Adirondack Council has reviewed the agenda for the upcoming June 13-14 Adirondack Park Agency Board meeting. Conservation Director Rocci Aguirre has offered the following comments and suggestions in a letter to the APA: » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Adirondack Council’s APA Meeting Report

adirondack council new logoThe Adirondack Council has reviewed the agenda for the upcoming May Adirondack Park Agency Board meeting and has made the following comments to the Park Agency: » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Adirondack Council: Upcoming APA Meeting Comments

adirondack council new logoThe Adirondack Park Agency will hold its March meeting on Thursday and Friday, March 14 and 15 at its headquarters in Ray Brook.  Here are some of the items on the agenda and the Adirondack Council’s reaction to them: » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Adirondack Council: Upcoming APA Meeting Comments

adirondack council new logoThe Adirondack Council has reviewed the agenda for the upcoming February 14-15 Adirondack Park Agency Board meeting. We offer the following comments and suggestions: » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Beyond Boreas: Other Classification Decisions to Watch

Adirondack Land Classification MapThe Boreas Tract is just one part of the proposed classification or reclassification of 54,418 acres of State Lands in the Adirondack Park. The Governor’s Adirondack Park Agency drafted a set of amendments to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP) that included some 100 other proposed classifications, reclassifications, and/or map corrections as part of a large Appendix A of the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

While most of the attention to date has been focused on the high profile 20,543 acre Boreas Ponds Tract, APA watchers expect the Agency to soon release the proposed final set of amendments to the Master Plan for all 100 plus proposed actions. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

New State Lands: The Ecological Case for Wilderness

Essex ChainThe recent acquisition by the State of New York of the former Finch-Pruyn/Nature Conservancy lands means many things to many people. While economic, social, and political implications fuel many of the broader conversations occurring over these lands, these issues tend to drown out the quieter voice of the land itself.

Any visitor to the North Country knows that wild places are anything but silent, from the ever persistent hum of the mosquito, to the chittering call of the hunting kingfisher, to the push and pull of the wind through the forested hillsides. At the Adirondack Council we pay attention to these sounds, or more specifically, to the scientist and professionals who study how wild places and wild things are ecologically connected, and incorporate this critical input into our decision making process. » Continue Reading.



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