Recently, I wrote about the Adirondack Council asking the state to fund a wide-ranging study of water quality across the Adirondacks. (Speaking of the Council, it just hired someone away from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office to be its new vice president for conservation.)
I’ve been thinking about how much the public conversation is influenced by money — not just advertising and p.r., but money or lack of money for research.
On Saturday, December 5 from 7-9pm, the Ausable River Association (AsRA) will be hosting a virtual “Wild & Scenic Film Festival.”
Inspired by the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City California, it is designed to celebrate the beauty of wild places and the work being done to protect them.
For December 5, AsRA has chosen 12 films which will be showcased on their virtual platform. AsRA’s Executive Director Kelley Tucker, along with Donor Outreach Associate Tyler Merriam will introduce the films and establish their connection to the local natural world.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter, in partnership with the Town of Jay and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service), have right-sized two flood vulnerable and ecologically significant culverts in Jay, NY.
Work is complete on the Jay Mountain Road and Ausable Drive culvert projects. The new culverts will reduce flood risk and the town’s road maintenance costs and restore aquatic habitat connectivity.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA), in partnership with Adirondack River Rentals is hosting an Ausable River Clean-Up on Tuesday, Sept. 8 in Peru. All community members and visitors who wish to volunteer their time are welcome to help restore and protect the Ausable River.
The AsRA and Adirondack River Rentals will be removing trash along the Main Stem Ausable River near Carpenter’s Flats, in and along the river’s banks. It is encouraged you provide your own boat, but Adirondack River Rentals will be providing sterilized canoes, kayaks, and stand up paddle boards to participants who need them. Bags and gloves will be provided.
Adirondack scientist, photographer, and conservation advocate Brendan Wiltse has joined Paul Smith’s College as Visiting Assistant Professor with its new Masters of Science program and Water Quality Director with the college’s Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI). Brendan is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College and earned his Ph.D. from Queen’s University in Ontario.
Brendan comes to the college from the Ausable River Association (AsRA) where for 6 years as Science and Stewardship Director he contributed to the group’s efforts to protect the Ausable River watershed through science and community engagement.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is offering free guided community paddling, hiking, and interpretive experience programs in the Ausable watershed this summer, with special consideration given to COVID-19 safety.
Paddling trips utilize the Ausable Paddling Nature Trail on Lake Everest in Wilmington, established by AsRA in 2010. “Interpretive paddling nature trails are unique. This is a self-guided paddling nature trail that anyone can follow. There is a full-color guide booklet in the kiosk at the boat launch on Lake Everest at the Wilmington town beach, and paddlers can also follow the route on their AllTrails App” says Research Associate, Carrianne Pershyn.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) has been awarded a $100,000 Best Management Practices for Pollution Reduction grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP).
The funding supports replacement of an undersized and failing culvert on Otis Brook in Jay, NY. This will be AsRA’s sixth installation of a Climate-Ready-Culvert and is part of their wider effort to restore stream health by reducing sedimentation of waterways, to improve wildlife habitat, and to create flood resilience for communities in the Ausable watershed. » Continue Reading.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is set to host a night of visual storytelling through film at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, on tour at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.
This event celebrates the beauty of wild places and thework being done to protect them. » Continue Reading.
The Tahawus Center has opened a new exhibit on the J. & J. Rogers Company pulp and paper mill dam, Rome Undammed. The exhibition of photographs document the life and recent removal of the J. & J. Rogers Co. pulp and paper mill dam, which spanned the West Branch of the Ausable River, just upstream of Au Sable Forks, for 125 years (1893-2018).
The recently removed Rome Dam, was one of the last visible relics of the J. & J. Rogers Company. Among the largest industries in the Ausable River Valley, the company once owned roughly a third of the watershed » Continue Reading.
Ausable River Association (AsRA) and Cycle Adirondacks (CycleADK) have announced the 8th Annual Ride for the River is set for Sunday, July 21st. The family-friendly event is a fully supported road cycling tour featuring four distance options, all showcasing the Ausable River watershed. » Continue Reading.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is set to offer guided community paddling and hiking programs in the Ausable watershed this summer.
Paddling trips will utilize the Ausable Paddling Nature Trail on Lake Everest that AsRA helped establish in 2010. The full length of the trail is about two miles long and includes seven stops along the way, with each stop discussing some aspect of the natural history of Lake Everest. An accompanying booklet includes hand-drawn illustrations of birds, plants, and other wildlife commonly found on Lake Everest. AsRA staff will accompany paddlers providing information on the various stops in greater detail. » Continue Reading.
This month, the Ausable River Association (AsRA) was awarded a $175,000 grant by the Lake Champlain Basin Program to advance effective, science-based approaches to reducing road salt impacts to Mirror Lake. » Continue Reading.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) have released the 2018 Water Quality Report for Mirror Lake. The report shows that Mirror Lake continues to be negatively affected by road salt and that lack of mixing in the spring, first documented in 2017, remains a problem. » Continue Reading.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and its partners will lead a $1.1 million effort to increase flood resilience and stream health in the East Branch of the Ausable River.
The East Branch team is expected to use field data, hydrologic and geomorphic models, guidance from the Town government, and input from Jay residents and business owners to develop a comprehensive plan for flood resilience for the East Branch in the Town of Jay.
The plan is expected to be completed by 2019 and include conceptual designs of all identified stream and floodplain projects and a scoring matrix for ranking them. Two to five of the highest ranking projects will be fully designed, with construction scheduled to start in the summer of 2019. Collection of technical data describing the current state of the river and its floodplain has already begun.
The 7th annual Ride for the River, a family-friendly road cycling tour benefiting the conservation work of the Ausable River Association (AsRA) has been set for July 14-15 in Wilmington.
The event features multiple route options for Sunday’s main event and an all-new casual group ride, the “Tailgater” planned for Saturday afternoon. All rides start and finish at the Hungry Trout Resort overlooking the Ausable River’s Flume waterfalls. » Continue Reading.
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