Posts Tagged ‘Adirondack Council’

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Adirondack Council cheers state budget wins

Boreas Ponds Dam photo by Carl Heilman/Wild Visions, Inc. courtesy of the Adirondack Council.The Adirondack Council praised the NYS Budget agreement for treating the Adirondack Park like the national treasure that it is, providing new funding for wilderness preservation, clean water projects and community enhancement.

The Council noted that the budget includes money for state and local officials to cope with overuse of the park’s wilderness by record crowds, new clean water projects, broadband communications, increased diversity and new jobs.

“We thank Legislative leaders Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie as well as Environmental Conservation Committee Chairs Senator Todd Kaminsky and Assemblyman Steve Englebright and the Governor’s office for the Adirondack Park wins in this budget,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway.  “We are excited to see that legislative leaders took Adirondack community needs seriously and worked to address them while keeping environmental protection at the forefront of Adirondack policy.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, March 3, 2021

A different kind of lobby day

lobby day 2020It’s hard to believe it’s already March 2021. One year ago I was getting my feet wet at the state Capitol, setting up shop at a table in the Legislative Correspondent’s Association offices on the third floor. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was beginning to hold more “Red Rooms,” meaning press conferences, about the coronavirus.

As of mid-March, I had stopped going to the Capitol. Since then, as with so many other folks, I have made home my workshop. While I am lucky to be able to conduct my job over email, the phone, Zoom and a few distanced in-person visits, I noticed just how different things are when advocacy groups posted on Twitter about the Adirondack Park lobbying day last week. 

» Continue Reading.


Monday, March 1, 2021

Farm micro-grants available up to $1,500

Soil Health on Market Farms workshopThe Adirondack Council’s Essex Farm Institute (EFI) will offer grants of up to $1,500 per applicant for projects that are both environmentally beneficial and sustainable. They will be seeking applicants starting today for their 2021 micro-grant cycle until the end of the month. 

To date, the micro-grant program has awarded over $129,000 in the support of over 85 projects since the programs conception in 2016, with 13 farms being awarded grants during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, January 21, 2021

Adirondack conservation groups bring priorities to Albany

loonFour Adirondack conservation organizations this week called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to boost both public health and the Upstate economy with new investments in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and clean water.  They also urged him to fix lingering problems at the Adirondack Park Agency.  

“The Adirondack Park is a national treasure and the birthplace of the wilderness movement in our country,” noted the letter sent to the Governor by the groups.  “We urge you to uphold the 125-year, multi-generational, bipartisan tradition of protecting the Adirondack Park. At six million acres, the Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous United States. It is also the largest intact temperate deciduous forest in the world, making it a primary source of our state’s clean water, a refuge for wildlife and biodiversity, and a sponge for greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.”

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Adirondack Council’s Top 10 list of 2020 progress

Progress on reducing road salt, managing visitors to the overused High Peaks Wilderness Area and making the Adirondacks more welcoming to all New York residents led the Adirondack Council’s list of 10 reasons to be thankful as 2020 draws to a close.

 The Council’s 2020 highlights included:

State Budget is Good for the Adirondack Park – April 1, 2020 

The Adirondack Council and partners secured crucial funding for pristine Adirondack waters and wildlands in the state budget. New York State approved a $300 million Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). There was a total of $1 billion for new clean water infrastructure. Both are cornerstone sources of funding that go to keep Adirondack waters free of invasive species, sewage and pollution. Additionally, the budget included dedicated funding to combat overuse in the Adirondacks.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Hikers Seek Solitude and Wildness in the High Peaks, Survey Reveals

Temporary Parking Closures, Parking Permits, Shuttles & Trail Closures Acceptable to Users

Two leading conservation organizations, The Adirondack Council, The Adirondack Mountain Club, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) released the preliminary results of a two month hiker survey for the High Peaks Wilderness Area, showing most hikers preferred solitude and wildness, and would welcome limits on visitation in order to prevent damage to the “forever wild” forest preserve.

The survey, “Recreational User Experience and Perspectives: Adirondack Park” is undergoing its initial analysis, but the institutions involved look forward to releasing the final results in a few months.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 8, 2020

‘Landscape of Hope’ theme of Council’s annual State of the Park report

Park a Place of Refuge amid COVID 19, Begins Coping w/Overuse; Whitney Estate for Sale 

The Adirondack Council released its 2020-21 State of the Park report today subtitled “Landscape of Hope,” noting that the park has become a place of refuge during the COVID-19 crisis, which has only increased the park’s popularity.

The report also notes that the state is beginning to make progress on addressing the overused trails and campsites of the High Peaks Wilderness Area, detailing what has been accomplished and what remains to be done.  A third major focus of the report – taking up its entire center spread – is the pending sale of the 36,000-acre Whitney Estate in Long Lake, Hamilton County.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, August 28, 2020

Limited Entry System for the High Peaks – Let’s Get Started

I appreciate the Adirondack Council’s recent press release, which highlights the many benefits of permit reservation or limited entry systems and how such a system is needed and necessary now in parts of the High Peaks Wilderness Area. (Editor’s note: See the Explorer’s article about it here) Support from the Adirondack Council for such a system comes at an important moment, as overuse of the peaks continues to spike during this pandemic summer.

Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve has been publicly advocating for a limited entry or permit reservation pilot project in the High Peaks since we met with Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Basil Seggos in September 2016. For the past four years we have advocated that such a system must be one part of a comprehensive management approach, including Leave No Trace education and use of many information platforms, including High Peaks social messaging to hikers and campers before they leave home.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, July 31, 2020

Adk Council reacts to loss of bond act; urges state to acquire Whitney estate

adirondack council new logoThe Adirondack Council expressed disappointment over Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to withdraw the $3-billion environmental bond act from the 2020 ballot, saying the measure could have helped get New York residents back to work and would have provided significant tax relief to rural communities, while protecting clean water and wildlife.

“We are very disappointed that the bond act has been withdrawn,” said Adirondack Council Deputy Director Rocci Aguirre.  “We believe it would have helped to spur economic growth while it benefited the environment.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, July 17, 2020

Brothers create DackMap app for real-time recreation updates

In the outdoor-rec world, apps can be quite an asset when planning trips. Powder Project shows backcountry ski trails in the area skiers currently are or will be going to. Mountain Project provides an immense and detailed amount of knowledge of climbing routes all over the world.

DackMap is a new app created by Nicholas and Luke LaScala, two brothers native to the Adirondack region. It’s free to download and use and available in the Apple store.

“It’s a live-based map that helps tourists and locals experience different businesses and find opportunities to recreate in a sustainable way,” said Nicholas LaScala.

Nicholas LaScala studied innovation entrepreneurship at Clarkson University, a program that serves as a business degree that also touches upon multiple aspects of the business world. A former marketing intern at the Adirondack Council and outdoor whitewater rafting guide in the Adirondacks, Nicholas puts together the social media and promotion side of the app, as well as coming up with the color scheme and the icons. 

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Survey finds boats bypassing I-87 inspection station

Adirondack Watershed Institute boat stewardBoat counters on the Northway for the Memorial Day weekend say that 89% of the trailered motorboats traveling north into the Adirondacks on Interstate 87 passed the inspection/decontamination station without stopping, according to the Adirondack Council.

It is illegal to transport invasive plants, fish or wildlife from one water body to another in New York.  The surest way to avoid contaminating one lake, pond or river with species from another is to have the boat inspected and cleaned by trained personnel.  New York has installed a network of inspection stations in and around the Adirondack Park.

Boat inspections and decontaminations are free, but the state hasn’t required boaters to stop at the inspection stations.  The Adirondack Council and others want better protection.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, May 22, 2020

A reminder to stay socially distant when getting out on Memorial Day

The opening days of hiking season are here, and with a warm Memorial Day weekend ahead, the Adirondack Council wants to remind outdoors enthusiasts to socially distance and continue using personal protective equipment while recreating.

Outdoor tourism is important for the North Country economy as well, and hikers traveling to the Adirondacks should take the time to research the local protocols and conditions beforehand. Residents and tourists alike should seek to avoid crowds and crowded locations so we can continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while still getting the exercise and fresh air we all need.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Adirondack Earth Day at 50 

NY invests in environment, public health infrastructure, bond act;

Trump’s Federal Government tearing down 50 years of progress

loonAs we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in the Adirondacks today, we see a state and a nation going in opposite directions in terms of environmental and public health protections. 

In New York, we are seeing unprecedented support for environmental progress from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s team, lawmakers and citizens.  Not only does New York have the most aggressive climate change law in the nation – the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act – but it is backing up its greenhouse gas reduction commitment with funding from a $300-million Environmental Protection Fund and a proposed $3-billion Restore Mother Nature Bond Act. 

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Grant program expands to help farms affected by COVID-19

thurman farm tourThe Adirondack Council and Essex Farm Institute have recently updated its micro-grant program  to allow farmers, value-added producers and food pantries to apply for  COVID-19 related emergency funding during this grant cycle.

In the midst of new and unforeseen challenges to the local food system, the aim is to help mitigate some of those
challenges.  This means there are now two types of grant applications for up to $5,000:

  1. Adirondack farmers and value-added producers seeking to enhance the environmental health and benefits their operations provide.
  2. Adirondack farmers, value-added producers and food pantries seeking financial assistance during the COVID-19 crisis. Projects or costs that get local food to local people are eligible.

The grant application deadline has been extended until April 7.

LEARN MORE & APPLY

See a full list of past micro-grant recipients.

Reach out if you have any questions. Jackie Bowen at [email protected]

Racey Henderson, Program Director, Essex Farm Institute at [email protected]


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Early Results On Overuse, Visitors Still Surging

high peaks overuse mapWhile the total number of visitors is still rising, the state’s initial actions to curb overuse of the Adirondack Park’s High Peaks Wilderness Area have started to show results, according to data collected by the Adirondack Council in 2017 and 2019.

The highest weekend peak visitor traffic numbers decreased across the top three destinations in the High Peaks by 3.5 percent. That is progress. We can celebrate that while recognizing that there is still much to do to ensure Wilderness and access are preserved. » Continue Reading.



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