The 11th Annual I Love My Park Day will be held on Saturday, May 7. I Love My Park Day is hosted by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with DEC and New York State Parks will host events at 145 state parks, historic sites, and public lands across the state.
Volunteers will celebrate New York’s public lands by cleaning up debris, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects.
While I hope we are putting the winter weather behind us, a flash of snow last week that left thousands without power was a reminder of the damage that can be caused. It all depends on the kind of precipitation that actually hits the ground.
Enter atmospheric researchers from University at Albany and other institutions in both Canada and the U.S. The scientists recently completed a six-week field campaign where they collected an enormous amount of data on the mixed winter precipitation storms that often confound forecasters and commuters alike.
Using ground observations, soaring weather balloons, tank-like mobile radars and a specialized airplane to collect the data, the scientists hope to develop a better understanding of the fundamental dynamics of storms that sometimes end with freezing rain, sometimes with sleet and sometimes with a heavy snow in April that forces you to find a coffee shop to work from.
This mural was drawn by school children in the Andean Mountain community of Santiago De Okola. Photo by Cayte Bosler
In 1970, famed anchor Walter Cronkite announced Earth Day for the first time on a CBS news special.
Tens of millions of people, mostly students, had taken to the streets across the country with a message for leadership — “act or die,” as Cronkite recounted to his audience. Air pollution from leaded gas emissions and inefficient vehicles reigned as the leading concern which united protesters and activists to rally for systematic change.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comment on projects currently under review. The public is encouraged to go to the Agency’s website found at www.apa.ny.gov and click the Public Comment and Hearing Opportunities link found in the News & Activities information box.
The link will direct the public to the Requests for Public Comment page where more information is located. In addition, the public will find an option to electronically submit a comment for the posted projects.
Presently, the Agency is accepting comments on the following proposed projects:
See the following for a more detailed list of proposed projects including the end date for public comment periods:
Public comment is invited for the following projects under review by the Adirondack Park Agency. Notices are sorted by comment period ending date. If a public hearing is scheduled for a project, the hearing date, time, and location will be listed.
April 28 — Brandon & Andrea Montag; APA:2022-0071;
NYS Route 186 and Airport Road, Town of Harrietstown, Tax Parcel 423.-2-3;
more information or comment on this project
May 5 — National Grid; APA:2021-0298;
Black Point Road and State Route 22, Town of Ticonderoga, TMP 160.2-2-3.000; 160.2-2-2.000; 160.2-2-1.000; 150.4-4-1.000, and 150.83-1-7.000.;
more information or comment on this project
May 5 — Malcolm Gatherer; APA:2021-0290;
Sunset Road, Town of Dannemora, Clinton County, TMP: 182.-2-2.1, 2.3, and 2.4;
more information or comment on this project
May 5 — Pivot Energy; APA:2021-0296;
Old Chilson Road, Town of Ticonderoga Tax Parcels 150.2-1-2.110 and 150.2-1-18.000;
more information or comment on this project
May 5 — Moriah Central School District; APA:2022-0002;
Viking Lane, Town of Moriah, Tax Parcel 97.17-5-1;
more information or comment on this project
May 12 — Denise Plano, Andrew Kropff, Stewart & Donna Jerdo; APA:2022-0022;
Simonds Hill Road, Town of Elizabethtown, Tax Parcels 74.2-1-27.100 and 74.2-1-27.300;
more information or comment on this project
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law.
By David Miller, Adirondack Council Clean Water Program Coordinator
Failing septic systems are degrading pure waters in the Adirondack Park. Many of these waterbodies serve as drinking water supplies for the Park’s year-round and seasonal residents and visitors.
Thankfully, the New York State historic Clean Water Fund includes septic replacement grant funds for homeowners. Under this program, money is allocated in bulk amounts to counties that then provide grants to homeowners who have applied for them. Homeowners can receive up to $10,000 in these grants to help them pay for their septic system replacements, which typically range between $15,000 and $30,000. These grants make an enormous difference to residents in the rural counties by making septic improvements affordable.
There is a great need for this funding in the Adirondacks, but the question remains why so little of this money has actually made its way to the Park.
There’s nothing like a generator to spoil a good, old-fashioned Adirondack power outage. We happen to have one, so even though the juice was out for 33 hours, instead of kerosene lamps, a good book, heavy blankets, and gin rummy by candlelight, it was the same old LEDs, microwave popcorn and reruns of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
We had several friends who took the blame for the late-April snow, confessing that the weekend before they had moved the Adirondack chairs to the deck, or put up their skis and microspikes for the summer. And this was a real snow, this was not the more typical spring wintry mix.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is honored to announce a second public challenge by Manning and Virginia Rowan Smith to encourage those who support the protection of Lake George to join LGLC’s Land and Water Society. The LGLC’s legacy giving program has grown to over 130 members.
The Land and Water Society is the LGLC’s legacy society, celebrating those who include the LGLC in their estate planning. It can be through a simple bequest, by naming the LGLC as a beneficiary in a life insurance policy or retirement fund, or one of many other options available. The gift can be large or small, and its benefits will continue long after one’s lifetime.
From now until November 30, 2022 the Smiths will donate $5,000 to the LGLC for every new legacy pledge received, regardless of method, amount or designation, up to a total of $300,000. For those who wish to include a specific dollar amount with their pledge that is above $5,000, they will match that amount.
After a two-year hiatus, Champlain Area Trails (CATS) will present a “shorter” Grand Hike on May 14 through the fields and forests of Westport. This year’s hike will be a six-mile loop on Viall’s Crossing trails. The hike starts at the Essex County Fairgrounds and ends at the Ledge Hill Brewing Company right next to the fairgrounds. All are invited to attend a “brew party” at the conclusion of the hike that will feature live music by the Bionic Band from Saranac Lake, drinks, food to purchase from DaCy Meadow Farm, a kids’ area, and a post-hike celebration.
“We are so pleased to start this up again,” said Chris Maron, CATS Executive Director. “With so many uncertainties, we chose to keep it simple—to have it be an afternoon walk beginning at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, going on a number of CATS trails, then on easy roads through Westport and ending at Ledge Hill Brewery which is right next to the fairgrounds. That makes for convenient parking for all those who want to enjoy our family-friendly trails and for those coming from farther distances.”
In celebration of Earth Day 2022, the Adirondack Park’s largest environmental organization today awarded 15 micro-grants totaling $32,000 to local farmers and value-added food producers, in an effort to build a climate-friendly local economy in the Adirondack Park.
It was the seventh consecutive year that the Adirondack Council has awarded micro-grants to farmers and small business owners who want to reduce their environmental impact and adapt to a changing climate. This year’s grant criteria were modified to accommodate both larger operations as well as projects featuring collaborations between several qualified applicants.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and three regional Rotary Clubs are partnering to host an Ausable River cleanup on Saturday, April 23. This year, The Rotary Club of the Au Sable Valley and Lake Placid Rotary Club will focus on roadways and riverbanks in the Lake Placid, Wilmington, Jay, Upper Jay, and Keene Communities. The Plattsburgh Rotary Club is hosting a simultaneous cleanup event in and around Ausable Point near Peru, NY.
Hikers advised to temporarily avoid high elevation trails and prepare for variable conditions on low elevation trails.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today urged hikers to postpone hikes on Adirondack trails above 2,500 feet until high elevation trails have dried and hardened. DEC advises hikers on how to reduce negative impacts on all trails and help protect the natural resources throughout the Adirondacks during this time.
High elevation trails: Despite recent warm weather, high elevation trails above 2,500 feet are still covered in slowly melting ice and snow. These steep trails feature thin soils that become a mix of ice and mud as winter conditions melt and frost leaves the ground. The remaining compacted ice and snow on trails is rotten, slippery, and will not reliably support weight. “Monorails,” narrow strips of ice and compacted snow at the center of trails, are difficult to hike and the adjacent rotten snow is particularly prone to postholing.
As an extension of our recent post about an Old Forge grandmother, Beth Pashley, avid hiker and talented photographer, The Adirondack Almanack will be featuring snippets of Pashley’s hiking adventures on a year-round basis including her visually-striking and artistic nature photographs. Pashley was inspired to embrace the great outdoors with her grandchildren starting at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, dubbing the family bonding time as “The Grandma Chronicles.”
On April 6, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced proposed changes to wild turkey hunting regulations, giving hunters additional turkey hunting opportunities. The proposal, if enacted, would not be in place until later this year and among other changes, establishes a spring turkey season in Suffolk County in 2023, with a season limit of one bearded bird.
The Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) recently announced that the New York State Department of Health awarded it certification through the Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP).
The AWI Environmental Research Lab is a state-of-the-art laboratory specifically designed for the analysis of surface and ground water in the Adirondack region. The laboratory saw major upgrades in 2010 when Paul Smith’s College built the Countess Alicia Spaulding-Paolozzi Environmental Science and Education Center.
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