Willie Janeway, executive director of the Adirondack Council for the last decade, is stepping down in September. The news follows leadership changes coming for other prominent Adirondack Park organizations including the Barkeater Trails Alliance and Protect the Adirondacks.
Janeway said he is not retiring, and he’s not sure what’s next. It was time for a transition, he said. You can read more here.
Bolton Landing, NY – The Lake George Land Conservancy’s (LGLC) NextGen Committee has partnered with YMCA Camp Chingachgook to offer a unique look at issues of equity and inclusivity in and around the Adirondack Park.
On Friday, March 10, Camp Chingachgook will open its grounds to the public for an important discussion with the community. The talk, “Equity in Land Conservation and Recreation,” begins at 5:30 p.m., with guests encouraged to arrive early for drinks and an opportunity to walk to camp grounds. The panel is composed of Rocci Aguirre of the Adirondack Council, Pete Nelson and Tiffany Rea-Fisher of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and Martha Swan of John Brown Lives!
What started as a wholesome family tradition of cleaning up the area around their Fourth Lake camp has transpired into a widespread clean up event dubbed Maintain the Chain (MTC) that focuses efforts on the Fulton Chain of Lakes. In its inaugural year as a formal event in 2021, Maintain the Chain garnered support from the Fulton Chain of Lakes Association (FCLA), towns of Webb and Inlet, and the Sixth and Seventh Lakes Improvement Association, and partnered with the Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI). The momentum continued for the 2022 event this past summer, Aug. 5-14, dates which coincided with Adirondack Water Week and the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Adirondack Council today thanked the members of the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus for again holding its fall retreat inside the Adirondack Park and for the amazing list of accomplishments achieved in partnership with the Adirondack Council and other conservation organizations over the past year.
The caucus held its fall retreat in Lake Placid in 2021, which was the first time it held its annual retreat outside of Albany. The Council held a reception this year at Smoke Signals restaurant to honor caucus achievements with friends and supporters on the eve of their return to the Adirondacks.
ALBANY, N.Y. — Adirondack Council today called upon the NYS Dept. Environmental Conservation to drop a previously announced plan to remove the gray wolf from New York’s endangered species list.
Species listed as endangered are granted special protections from hunting and habitat loss. The state had announced a plan to remove the wolf from the endangered list because the state considered the animal extinct in New York (a.k.a. extirpated).
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – The past year has been a period of great change and emotional strain for the Adirondack Park’s natural wonders, its residents and its visitors, according to the Adirondack Council’s annual State of the Park report, entitled Stressed and Challenged.
“This year’s report is a bit different than those in past years,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “We spent more time considering the impacts of government decisions on the future of democracy and human rights than we have needed to before. Conservation demands a basic respect for all life, a desire to constantly improve our relationships with other people and the natural world. Those are not priorities in places where democracy is absent or endangered.”
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – As owners of the largest intact temperate deciduous forest on Earth, New Yorkers have an awesome responsibility to save the Adirondack Park from the ravages of climate change. But that “forever wild” forest is also New York’s greatest weapon in the fight to prevent global overheating, the Adirondack Council told the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority recently.
The Adirondack Park’s largest environmental organization was commenting on NYSERDA’s draft Climate Scoping Plan, which will spell out how the state intends to combat climate change and comply with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The Act requires New York to stop emitting all greenhouse gases by 2050.
Earlier this year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation held a public comment and meeting period regarding the Draft Disadvantaged Communities Criteria (DAC). This criteria, which is being overseen by the Climate Justice Working Group, will help the state “identify disadvantaged communities to ensure that frontline and otherwise underserved communities benefit from the state’s historic transition to cleaner, greener sources of energy, reduced pollution and cleaner air, and economic opportunities.”
While the Adirondack Council supports the overall effort of the DAC criteria, the focus is on urban and suburban areas of New York. The Council feels the criteria should be updated to include the challenges faced by the rural communities of New York, in particular those in the Adirondack Park. Our comments on the DAC criteria are below, as written by Adirondack Council Director of Conservation Jackie Bowen and Clarence Petty Climate and Conservation Intern Andrea Shipton.
Carolyn Koestner. Photo provided by the Ausable River Association.
Wilmington, NY — Carolyn Koestner of Saranac Lake has joined the staff of the Ausable River Association (AsRA). Her position as geographic information system (GIS) mapping and science communications fellow is made possible through a partnership with Vermont-based Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG). Earlier this year, LCSG awarded AsRA a two-year competitive fellowship that provides $25,000 a year toward the hire of an early career professional. A generous donor gave the required match commitment to AsRA to make this new opportunity possible.
ALBANY, N.Y. – The closing hours of the NYS Legislative Session saw three Adirondack Park Agency appointees confirmed by the Senate, including the first Black appointee, Benita Law-Diao. The Legislature also approved important policy advances to curb the impacts of climate change, such as the commitment to protect 30% of New York’s forests by 2030. None of the several proposed amendments to the NYS Constitution’s “forever wild” clause was approved.
“Overall, the Legislative Session provided some great victories for Adirondack wilderness, water, jobs and communities,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “It was great to see new Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirm her support for the Adirondacks and work with Legislative Leaders to achieve it.”
The Adirondack Council will present its Conservationist of the Year Award to climate change educator and activist Jen Kretser and The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program during the Council’s Forever Wild Day celebration on July 9 at Paul Smith’s College, near Saranac Lake.
“Jen Kretser, the Youth Climate Program and The Wild Center are doing a fantastic job of educating our youth about the dangers of global climate change and what they can do to curb its impacts and prepare for the changes we can no longer prevent,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “As Director of Climate Initiatives for The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, Jen manages the center’s climate change engagement programs, including the now-famous global Youth Climate Summits and broader Youth Climate Program.”
The Town of Indian Lake was the biggest winner among Adirondack communities when the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) awarded $638 million in grants to municipalities statewide for water infrastructure projects.
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.
For the first time, the Adirondack Council’s Essex Farm Institute’s Micro-Grants for Adirondack Farms and Value-Added Producers will offer grants of up to $8,000 for the implementation of environmentally-beneficial and sustainable projects led by Adirondack farms and value-added producers. Prior grants had not exceeded $5,000, with most awarded in the $1,500 range. The grant application was updated for the 2022 cycle to provide more resources for larger operations or those projects led by a team of applicants.
The 2022 guidelines have also been updated to provide clarity with respect to eligibility criteria and gives preference for historically-underserved or socially-disadvantaged groups. As the Adirondack Park’s largest environmental advocacy organization, the Adirondack Council recognizes the huge role agriculture plays in meeting climate goals, sustaining the health of natural resources and fostering economically vibrant communities. It adopted the Essex Farm Institute to ensure that local farmers would have assistance in reducing costs (fuel, fertilizer, electric power, waste removal) and increasing profitability/sustainability by adopting sustainable, environmentally friendly methods.
“Curbing climate change will require new investments in those parts of the economy that can help us conserve energy and reduce fuel use,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “That also reduces pollution, creates more local jobs and make the Adirondacks less dependent on easily-disrupted supply chains that reach halfway around the world.”
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Bringing the Adirondacks to a Global Audience at COP27
By Aaron Mair
It is indeed an honor to represent the Adirondack Council and region at the most significant global discussions on climate known as the 27th Conference of the Parties to the 27th Conference of Parties United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27. Climate change is the most significant threat to humanity and global biodiversity.
As recent studies indicate, temperatures are rising at unsustainable rates due to humanity’s inability to control carbon and methane emission rates. It isn’t because we lack the capacity, resources, or technology. It now comes down to the 193 nations and states to act.
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