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Spring is Struggling to Break Through
Yes! Spring is struggling to break
through here
in the mountains –
northern part of lake still iced
over, shores snow-covered, no
Canadas or loons, handful of
mallards – yet but soon.
Tribute: Celebrating the Music of Pete Seeger and the Clearwater on May 13 in Saranac Lake
Pete Seeger’s banjo is inscribed with the words, “This banjo surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.”
On May 13, 2023 at 7 p.m., people will gather again at the First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake’s Great Hall to celebrate Pete’s life work by sharing his music together. Over 50 years ago Pete and his wife, Toshi, spearheaded an effort to build the Hudson River sloop Clearwater. They hoped if people had intimate knowledge of the pollution on the Hudson and could feel the wind and the water, they would be inspired to solve big problems one song at a time.
Outdoor Conditions (5/12): Hikers encouraged to pack essentials for tricky Spring weather
The following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.
NEW THIS WEEK
Lake George Wild Forest
- Dacy Clearing gate in Shelving Rock is open.
- Jabe Pond Road and Lily Pond Road mud gates are open.
In praise of low peaks, lowlands
In his seminal 1869 book, Adventures in the Wilderness, William H. H. Murray is less than enamored with the southern Adirondacks. He calls the area “the least interesting portion of the Adirondacks. It is the lowland district, comparatively tame and uninviting.”
We lowland residents would not agree.
Is the Adirondack High Peaks region less appealing because the Rocky Mountains are higher? Do the waterbodies of the area suffer in comparison to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota? Do the splendid attractions of the High Peaks render the remainder of the Adirondack Park irrelevant?
It’s Water Week!
Eurasian watermilfoil, the pervasive invasive aquatic weed at the center of a debate over using herbicide in Adirondack waters. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig
For four decades, New York has celebrated its abundant water resources for a week in May. This is that week!
State officials Monday announced a five-year contract with the Adirondack Watershed Institute worth $13.2 million to continue the annual boat steward program that aims to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
This is also a big week in the fight over using a chemical herbicide to combat invasive plants in Adirondack lakes. The Adirondack Park Agency on Thursday is set to consider a permit that would allow the Town of Lake Luzerne to use the herbicide ProcellaCOR on 30+ acres of the town’s namesake lake in the southeastern corner of the park.
Adirondack Architectural Heritage announces Adirondack Rural Revitalization Program Launch
Keeseville, NY– The Adirondack Rural Revitalization Program (ARRP) guidelines and application form are now available on AARCH’s website. The Adirondack Rural Revitalization Program (ARRP) is supported in part by a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. This program will fund capital rehabilitation projects that foster community vibrancy and enhance sense of place within our region’s community and agricultural centers, with a focus on historic main street and agricultural buildings.
Clean Water Due Date
Municipalities across the state have an important June 14 deadline if they want a cut of billions in clean water infrastructure funding next year.
State agencies anticipate funding $1.97 billion in clean water projects and another $552 million in drinking water projects, according to a recent bulletin. Supported in part by the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funds are a mix of grants, interest-free loans and low-interest financing and are crucial to upgrading the costly systems that deliver drinking water, process our waste and protect our water.
The June 14 deadline, along with an Aug. 25 deadline for lead line replacement money, requires local governments to submit engineering documents to get on a statewide list of proposed projects. Getting a project listed – whether millions to overhaul a wastewater treatment plant or thousands to replace water mains – is essential to getting the state funds.
Men’s Annual Great Adirondack Boat Race set for May 14 in Long Lake
On Sunday, May 14, the men’s rowing teams from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY and Union College in Schenectady, NY will vie for the Great Adirondack Cup at the Long Lake Town Beach located at 1258 Main Street, NYS Route 30 in Long Lake, NY. The men’s St. Lawrence crew team are coming off a busy weekend, having captured the first Liberty League Men’s Championship in Saratoga and bringing home the title of NYS champions after the Saints’ win over Army West Point Rowing.
ADK Receives Generous Acts Grant from Adirondack Foundation
Lake Placid, NY — ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) is excited to announce that it has received funding for staff housing renovations from Adirondack Foundation’s Generous Acts Program. This support will help ADK provide additional housing to its 100 seasonal and full-time staff. In doing so, ADK will be able to welcome more young professionals into Adirondack communities who otherwise may not have been able to find housing in the area.
Body of Potsdam college student found below dam in Norwood Lake
Town of Lake George
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 6:50 p.m., Forest Rangers Carabetta and Donegan responded to a call for an injured hiker on the trail to Prospect Mountain. Rangers reached the pair of hikers by 7:30 p.m. and stabilized the ankle of the injured 23-year-old from Latham. Rangers assisted the hikers back to the trailhead and then to their vehicle. The injured subject chose to seek further medical attention on her own. Resources were clear at 8:10 p.m.
State budget takeaways for the Adirondacks
The state budget is one month late, but we are finally seeing some budget bills. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, lawmakers were just beginning to vote on some of them. Of particular interest for Adirondack Park projects is the capital projects budget bill. This bill includes the Environmental Protection Fund, where many Adirondack-specific projects are appropriated. The recently released bill has the EPF at $400 million.
I’m in the process of noting some proposed spending, and will have a story if and when the bill passes. But in my quick skim so far here are a few things that stood out:
Old Forge Library to offer Wild Infusions Herbal Study Sessions, Seed Library
The Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd., invites our community members to stop by and take part in this Spring’s Seed Library. There are a variety of seed packets and a few plants for people to take and use in their own home gardens. This spring we have a generous donation of propogated houseplants on offer as well. If you have seeds, seedlings or plants you’d like to donate and share, please drop them off.
Poetry: Chiroptera
Chiroptera
By Laura Bellinger
Apparently, last night
there was a giant hatch.
Thousands of tiny bugs, just specks,
have invaded my Adirondack porch.
Latest News Headlines
- Road Salt task force members frustrated with report delays - Adirondack Explorer
- Round Mountain: High Peaks feel without crowds
- Portage with purpose, on the Marion River - Adirondack Explorer
- DEC: Stay out of way of rail-trail construction - Adirondack Explorer
- Raquette Lake microgrid raises concern among residents
- Budget clarifies concealed carry law, Adirondack Park
- Mobile boat-cleaning station helps control invasives in Schroon Lake
- Akwesasne marches remember missing and murdered indigenous people
- What climate migration could mean for the Adirondacks
- After 200 year wait, work planned to free Saranac salmon
Latest News Headlines
- Road Salt task force members frustrated with report delays - Adirondack Explorer
- Round Mountain: High Peaks feel without crowds
- Portage with purpose, on the Marion River - Adirondack Explorer
- DEC: Stay out of way of rail-trail construction - Adirondack Explorer
- Raquette Lake microgrid raises concern among residents
- Budget clarifies concealed carry law, Adirondack Park
- Mobile boat-cleaning station helps control invasives in Schroon Lake
- Akwesasne marches remember missing and murdered indigenous people
- What climate migration could mean for the Adirondacks
- After 200 year wait, work planned to free Saranac salmon
The Adirondack Almanack
The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities
We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.
General inquiries about the Adirondack Almanack should be directed to editor Melissa Hart.
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Poetry: Can We But Live
And arrow-peaks of infant conifers emerging from cold earth,
Rebirth and change, in their pristine delicacy, their exquisite bond,
Clean dried scales from tired eyes too long clouded,
While staunching tears too freshly spilled,
All, in an undisclosed and ever-changing plan.