Saturday, September 17, 2022

DEC Recreation Highlight: Plan a Fall Foliage Hike from Frontier Town Gateway

The colors are coming soon, and hiking is one of the best ways to experience fall foliage in the Adirondacks. Enjoy the hikes and views without the hassle of driving and parking. No-cost shuttles will run during peak foliage weekends on Oct. 1 and 2 and again over Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus Day weekend on Oct. 8, 9, and 10 from the Frontier Town Gateway to the Giant Mountain, Roaring Brook Falls, and Rooster Comb trailheads and the Marcy Field Parking Area. These are the same drop-off locations currently offered by the Route 73 Hiker Shuttle (PDF) from Marcy Field, but from an alternate starting point.

The October shuttle will operate in a loop from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Seating is available on a first-come-first-served basis. Dogs are not permitted on the shuttle, and masks are required. The gateway shuttle stop is conveniently located near the DEC Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian, and Day Use Area.

For more information on planning fall foliage hikes in the Adirondacks, including a list of family-friendly trails ideal for hiking in the spring, summer, and fall, click here. Due to their lower elevation, these hikes are great alternatives during transitions between seasons like mud season in the spring and colder, shorter days in the fall.

Photo at top: DEC photo.


Friday, September 16, 2022

Adirondack Waterfest: a splash of a good time

adirondack waterfestAdirondack Waterfest was a splash of a good time that drew over 400 visitors to the Town of Inlet’s Arrowhead Park on Aug. 4.  The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District organized the day-long celebration of water with support from the Finger Lakes – Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance.

Storm clouds and a few rain showers dampened no one’s spirits at Waterfest.  The celebration made learning about the importance of clean water fun and exciting.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, September 16, 2022

Essex Community Fund grant recipients announced, over $21,000 awarded to community organizations serving Essex

ESSEX — The Essex Community Fund (ECF) has awarded over $21,000 to community organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in this Champlain Valley town.

 

A total of nine organizations received funding in 2022. A component fund of Adirondack Foundation, ECF awards grants yearly to projects serving residents of Essex through community services, beautification, historic preservation, culture, the arts, education, and programs for youth and senior citizens.

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Friday, September 16, 2022

Outdoor Conditions (9/16): St. Lawrence County multi-use trail closed for season

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry Information webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information

New This Week

Grass River Complex:

  • The St. Lawrence County Multi-use Trail, which crosses the Grass River, Long Pond, and Tooley Pond Conservation Easements, closed for the season on September 15.
  • There is an exclusive rights period on the Cranberry Forest Conservation Easement until December 16. The only public uses allowed during this time are the year-round use of the Windfall Road and Buckhorn Road for the sole purpose of accessing the river corridor, and the year-round use of the Dillon Pond Public Use Area.

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Friday, September 16, 2022

Latest news headlines

Here’s a look at news from around the Adirondacks this week:

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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Secret Language of Mushrooms

Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland was chock-a-block full of whimsical characters such as a hookah-smoking caterpillar and a bloodthirsty Queen of Hearts playing-card. Although animals and some objects in the story are able to speak, somehow the idea of a talking mushroom was too far-out even for Carroll’s rich imagination. The book depicts a colorful hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria mushroom on which Alice dines (without so much as a parental warning) to become large or small. But while the Cheshire cat is chatty, the mushroom remains mum.

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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Adirondack Experience announces upcoming fall events and programs

Adirondack Experience, the museum on Blue Mountain Lake, (ADKX) has released its upcoming fall programs and events which include nature hikes, Xperience For All (an event which celebrates outdoor recreation for all), FallFest, a virtual program in which three panelists will discuss Adirondack architecture, and more. Please see below for details on these events.

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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Fall foliage report: First signs of color

2022 foliage map week 1

This is the first 2022 I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for New York State. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend.

New York State’s 2022 fall foliage season is underway, with the first signs of the spectacular seasonal colors to come appearing in several regions, including the Adirondacks, Thousand Islands-Seaway, Catskills, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Chautauqua-Allegheny, Greater Niagara, and Hudson Valley. This is according to the field reports from volunteer observers for the Empire State Development Division of Tourism’s I LOVE NY program.

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Thursday, September 15, 2022

An eye on Inlet and Old Forge

jamie

Old Forge reporter Jamie Organski. Photo by Beth Pashley

Come meet with us this Friday

For the past year and a half, local reporter and Old Forge native Jamie Organski has been providing on the ground perspective on everything from the economy and workforce challenges to new trails and recreation opportunities. (Click here for her recent coverage of the 90 Miler canoe race kick off)

If you’ve been enjoying her work and our expanded coverage in the Central Adirondacks, we want to hear from you: What Adirondack issues are important to you? Is there more you’d like to see us report? What’s happening in your community that we need to know about?

Share your thoughts with us this Friday. Jamie and I will be hanging out at Blue Line Coffee in Inlet from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at the Farmers Market in Old Forge from around 1-5 p.m. Pop in to say hi, and pick up a free copy of Adirondack Explorer magazine.

If you can’t make it, but want to share your thoughts, send me an email: melissa@adirondackexplorer.org.


Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Innkeepers Wear White Hats: A homage to The Hedges

the hedges book cover

By Roger Kessel 

In the historical and continuing conflict between preserving the natural beauty of the Adirondack Park and fostering economic development, members of the hospitality industry are not infrequently depicted as the bad guys—the black hats willing to forego preservation of the wilderness in a selfish quest for profit. The reality is much more complicated and, based on my experience, the reverse is true.  Let me explain.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Adirondack Harvest Festival set for Sept. 24 at Essex County Fairgrounds

The Adirondack Harvest Festival will return to its one-day, in-person format on Saturday, Sept. 24 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, NY. This will be the first time the event has fully returned to the Essex County Fairgrounds for one large, in-person event since 2019. The event will follow the same format as past festivals, with a large farmers’ market, local food trucks, local libations tent (beer, mead and wine), demonstrations and talks, kids’ activities, farm animals, and much more.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Adirondack Wild meeting set for Paul Smith’s VIC on Oct. 14, Wilderness & Wild Stewardship Awards announced

Paul Smith’s, NY – The nonprofit advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve announces its Annual Meeting of Members and Friends will begin at 11 AM on Friday October 14, 2022, at the Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC), located at 8023 State Rt. 30 just north of Paul Smith’s College.

 

The event in the VIC auditorium runs from 11 AM to 3 PM and is free and open to the public. Please bring your own lunches. Light refreshments will be available.  Face masking is recommended.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Rangers assist injured 90-Miler paddler, injured hikers in Hamilton, Essex Counties

forest ranger reportTown of Long Lake
Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue:
 On Sept. 8 at 2:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a subject with a possible arm fracture near the summit of Coney Mountain. Ranger Praczkajlo made phone contact with the hiker’s companions and suggested the group continue walking down the trail until a Ranger could meet them.

Ranger Milano met up with the group and determined there were two injured parties, but no broken arm. One of the hikers became disoriented due to medication. Rangers helped the hikers to the trailhead and resources were clear at 4:30 p.m.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Protecting Monarchs in the Adirondacks

by Lisa Salamon, Adirondack Pollinator Project

 

The iconic Monarch butterfly was added to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species in July. The List, known as the IUCN Red List, founded in 1964, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. It uses a set of precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Contemporary Iroquois art program set for Sept. 22 at Reamer Campus Center, Union College

UCALL and the Kelly Adirondack Center present a Contemporary Iroquois Art program with Colette Lemmon scheduled for Thursday, September 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Reamer Campus Center at Union College in Schenectady. Refreshments will be available beginning at 5 p.m.

From the elegant beauty of baskets and antler carving to the thoughtful, occasionally provocative imagery of sculpture and painting, Iroquois art offers a window into the culture itself. Join us as we explore a wide range of contemporary Iroquois art and the inspiration, creative process, and purpose behind these amazing expressions. Rooted in the past but invested in the future, Iroquois art contains references to stories, values, history, cultural identity and the nearly insurmountable challenge of maintaining traditions in the face of change and assimilation.

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