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The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced that New York will once again provide free First-Time Camper weekends this summer. Families that have never camped before will have the opportunity to enjoy the popular outdoor activity and be provided equipment, guidance, and programs at select campgrounds. » Continue Reading.
Posts Tagged ‘DEC’
2019 First-Time Camper Program Registration Opens
Featured Hike: Blueberry Cobbles, New Russia
Blueberry Cobbles (2,053 feet), part of the Giant Mountain Wilderness, is a lookout 2.2 miles from the trailhead, on the East Trail to Giant Mountain. » Continue Reading.
Four Unprepared Teens Rescued At Mount Colden
A new UH-1-A “Huey” helicopter, based in Saranac Lake, was put into action Tuesday, April 23, to help DEC Forest Rangers rescue a group of teens unprepared for conditions near the summit of Mount Colden.
Four 17-year-olds from the Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs area, one with a leg injury, were stranded near the summit of Mount Colden. They were wearing sneakers, without snowshoes, and stuck in deep soft snow, according to reports by State Police and Forest Rangers, who were dispatched to the rescue.
Smart Growth Grants for Adirondack Park Communities
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the availability of $1.45 million in grants to promote smart growth in communities and not-for-profits in the Adirondack and Catskill parks. » Continue Reading.
Featured Trail: Belfry Mountain Fire Tower, Moriah
Belfry Mountain Fire Tower, part of the Hammond Pond Wild Forest, extends 0.3 mile and climbs 120 feet on a service road to a fire tower on the 1,820-foot summit. This is considered by many the easiest hike to an Adirondack Fire Tower. » Continue Reading.
Man Rescued From Rooster Comb Mountain
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
DEC Announces 2018-19 Deer Hunting Estimates
Hunters in New York killed an estimated 227,787 deer during the 2018-19 hunting seasons, approximately 12 percent more than the previous season, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced.
The estimated deer take included 114,402 antlerless deer and 113,385 antlered bucks. Statewide, this represents a 20-percent increase in antlerless deer and a five-percent increase in bucks from the last season. » Continue Reading.
Featured Hike: The Open Ridge of Jay Mountain
At 3,600 ft of elevation, Jay mountain, part of the Jay Mountain Wilderness, provides stunning views from an open ridge of the surrounding Adirondack Mountains. » Continue Reading.
Rangers Rescue Injured Hiker On Baker Mtn
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
High Peaks Need Bold, Comprehensive Management
As winter shows sure signs of releasing its grip on the Adirondacks, a new hiking season in the High Peaks Wilderness is coming into view. The allure of the High Peaks is immense for hikers, which is understandable.
There is simply no other place anywhere east of the Mississippi River that provides the experience like that found on the summit of an interior High Peak surrounded by dozens of others. The views from Gothics or Colvin or Colden or Haystack mountains, or any number of other High Peaks, are simply stunning.
It’s no wonder the High Peaks Wilderness is in the midst of a major boom in the number of hikers, which has stressed the region’s management. » Continue Reading.
Cuomo Administration Needs to Invest in High Peaks Wilderness
In 2018, state agencies combined the Dix Mountain and High Peaks Wilderness areas into one grand 275,000-acre Wilderness area, which is now celebrated as the 3rd largest Wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, behind the Florida Everglades and the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. This action certainly merits heralding as a major accomplishment in the history of the Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve.
It shines a spotlight on the High Peaks Wilderness as a world-class landscape and it begs the questions of how and when will state agencies start to put together a world-class management system that the High Peaks Wilderness deserves. » Continue Reading.
Lake Placid Boat Launch Closure Planned
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is closing the Lake Placid Boat Launch Site on Mirror Lake Drive on April 8, 2019, to replace the deteriorating bulkhead. » Continue Reading.
Rangers Make Rescue at Pilot Knob Preserve, Lake George
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Workshop in Warrensburg
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Warren County Cornell Cooperative Extension are set to host a workshop on hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on April 11, at the DEC Region 5 Office in Warrensburg, NY, from 5 to 8 pm.
The hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny insect from East Asia first discovered in New York in 1985, attacks forest and ornamental hemlock trees. It feeds on young twigs, causing needles to dry out and drop prematurely and causing branch dieback. Hemlock decline and mortality typically occur within four to 10 years of infestation in the insect’s northern range. » Continue Reading.
Burn Ban In Effect
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reminded residents that with spring approaching conditions for wildfires will become heightened and residential brush burning is prohibited through May 14 across New York State.
Even though much of the state is currently blanketed in snow, warming temperatures can quickly cause wildfire conditions to arise. Many areas, including in the Southeastern and Eastern Adirondacks, already have large areas devoid of snow.
Latest News Headlines
- Key stretch of Adirondack Rail Trail is complete
- High Rock on the Oswegatchie River
- St. Regis Falls school board fires 2 principals on same day, board member resigns
- Hickory Ski Center faces deadline to fund ski lifts
- Missing RIT student could be in the Adirondacks
- A new Adirondack growth: Whiskey fungus
- Hiker dies near Rainbow Falls in Keene, New York
- Saranac River trail network keeps growing
- Tupper Lake's water woes
- Santa's Workshop: 75 years of magic
Latest News Headlines
- Key stretch of Adirondack Rail Trail is complete
- High Rock on the Oswegatchie River
- St. Regis Falls school board fires 2 principals on same day, board member resigns
- Hickory Ski Center faces deadline to fund ski lifts
- Missing RIT student could be in the Adirondacks
- A new Adirondack growth: Whiskey fungus
- Hiker dies near Rainbow Falls in Keene, New York
- Saranac River trail network keeps growing
- Tupper Lake's water woes
- Santa's Workshop: 75 years of magic
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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