Posts Tagged ‘Raquette River’

Thursday, June 13, 2019

51,000 Acres, Rights Acquired in Raquette Boreal Forest Area

Three Rivers ForestThe Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit, has announced it has acquired ownership and rights on roughly 51,300 total acres in the Northwestern Adirondack Park.

The Three Rivers Forest properties include exceptional northern hardwood timberland near the headwaters of three major rivers flowing north to the St. Lawrence River – the Raquette, Oswegatchie and Grasse. The lands were purchased from investor-owners who had previously purchased former paper company lands, including former tracts of the Champion and International paper companies. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Youth Paddling Trips Explore Adirondack Waterways

2018 Northern Forest Explorers's trip in the Adirondacks There are still spots open in the Northern Forest Explorers program, which sends children aged 10-14 years old on five-day paddling trips in the Adirondacks.

The trips are organized by Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake and Adirondack guide Matt Burnett, in collaboration with the nonprofit Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Participating children are provided all of the essential camping and paddling gear. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, August 14, 2018

DEC Completes Jamestown Falls Redevlopment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of improvements at the Jamestown Falls river access site, located off State Route 56, north of Sevey Corners in the town of Colton, St. Lawrence County.

Located within the Raquette River Wild Forest, the completed project includes an accessible parking space and a hand-carry/car-top launch at the Raquette River. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, February 18, 2018

Naming the Lakes of the Eckford Chain

Ebenezer EmmonsIn the summer of 2017 the League of Extraordinary Adirondack Gentlemen (LEAG) held their annual camp-out at Great Camp Santanoni on Newcomb Lake.

I met there, for the first time, a gentleman new to the group. As a result of this meeting, he and I decided to expand our friendship and paddle the Eckford Chain: Raquette, Utowana, Eagle, and Blue Mountain lakes.

We set out one fine August morning from Raquette Lake, crossed the lake, and proceeded up the Marion River, through the carry, putting back in at the Utowana dock, continuing through Utowana Lake into Eagle Lake, and then into Blue Mountain Lake and pulled-out at the Blue Mountain beach.

Our conversation (and questions) turned to the name Eckford Chain of Lakes.  » Continue Reading.


Monday, November 20, 2017

Gibson: Boreal Road Construction Skirts Law

DEC and APA Staff Visit Jordan River in 2001 (Dave Gibson Photo)Previously I wrote in the Almanack about “a notice for public comment about what seems a relatively innocuous, relatively short (1.25 mile) road construction… has been circulated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC… This is actually not a small deal at all.”

Indeed it is not a small deal. I wanted to follow up my earlier post with one that examines whether the State DEC has properly applied the law in its initial review of this project affecting more than 20,000 acres of private land easement, as well as State Land near the border of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties. All of this area is part of a low-elevation boreal ecosystem identified for its significance by State and private ecologists since the 1970s. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, October 10, 2017

New Road Development Affects Unique Boreal Ecosystem

A notice inviting public comment about what seems a relatively innocuous, relatively short (1.25 mile) road construction has been circulated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC.

The Adirondack Almanack headlined the matter as “DEC planning new road east of Carry Falls Reservoir.”

This is not a small deal. In fact, the 1.25 miles of new road cut through the forest will result in nearly 20 miles of new public motorized access within a sensitive low-elevation boreal ecosystem. For many years, our DEC has been badly conflicted about balancing resource protection and motorized access to this area. » Continue Reading.


Monday, October 2, 2017

DEC Planning New Road East Of Carry Falls Reservoir

Raquette Road alternativesThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is proposing to amend both the 5 Mile Conservation Easement (CE) Interim Recreation Management Plan (IRMP) and the CE portion of the Raquette Boreal Wild Forest Unit Management Plan (UMP) to construct a road between the Five Mile and the Kildare Conservation Easements in Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County.

The project involves the construction of a new road approximately 1.25 miles in length. The road will provide access to many miles of motor vehicle roads on the Kildare Easement Lands. It will also provide non-motorized recreational access to the adjacent Raquette River Wild Forest and Raquette-Jordan Boreal Primitive Area. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 26, 2017

NiMo, Raquette River Power Film Screenings in Canton

Niagara Mohawk brochure cover, c. early 1950sTAUNY, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, will present a screening of two Niagara Mohawk promotional videos, Floating Islands and Workhorse River, on Thursday, September 28 from 7 to 9 pm at The TAUNY Center in Canton.

These videos will give viewers the chance to witness the Raquette River power project – and one of the river’s most distinctive and challenging features, the “floating islands” of Higley Flow – through the eyes and ears of the Colton building boom era. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Raquette River Rainbow Falls Powerhouse Tour Planned

The dam at Rainbow Falls, 2014Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), will host an opportunity to tour the Rainbow Falls Powerhouse in Parishville, NY on Friday, September 22 from 2 to 3:30 pm.

TAUNY will partner with Brookfield Renewable, the current hydrodam operators, to give an inside look at the Rainbow Falls powerhouse. The powerhouses at Rainbow Falls and elsewhere, which were part of the 1950s dam-building boom around Colton, figure into many stories from the TAUNY oral history project on the Raquette River – from goat-kidnapping capers to a worker’s near-death experience. This tour will give visitors a chance to experience another side of these stories by seeing firsthand how these facilities work to transform the natural power of the river into the kind of energy our society depends on every day. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Raquette River Dams Research Talk Thursday

The view upriver from Carry Dam during construction, c. 1950sTAUNY, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York has invited the community to a Raquette River dams exhibit research talk with Camilla Ammirati and Mary Jane Watson on Thursday, September 7 from noon to 1 pm at the TAUNY Center in Canton.

The presentation will focus on the oral history project that inspired TAUNY’s current exhibit, “‘Look Down, You’ll See Our Tracks’: Raquette River Dam Stories.” Attendees will have the chance to see the images, hear the stories, and learn about how this part of our regional heritage came into focus over three years of research and exhibit development.

Project partner Mary Jane Watson of South Colton will discuss the concentration of dams and powerhouses Niagara Mohawk built around the Colton area in the 1950s and how they transformed the local environment and community life. » Continue Reading.


Monday, August 28, 2017

Expert Paddlers Expected For Stone Valley Releases

Expert Kayaking at Stone ValleyWhitewater kayaking will be the highlight of Labor Day weekend activities in Colton.

The last two water releases of the summer by Brookfield Renewable Energy for expert-level whitewater kayakers to paddle the Stone Valley section of the Raquette River are scheduled for Saturday, September 2 and Monday, September 4.

The largest turnout is expected Saturday when paddlers will be doing timed runs in the afternoon on the Class 5 section of the river which begins just below the dam in the hamlet of Colton. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Wild Center Adds 34 Acres from the Adirondack Club and Resort

The Adirondack Club and Resort (ACR) planned for Tupper Lake donated 34 acres of land to the Wild Center in celebration of the Hull family, it was announced Monday. The land includes the oxbow on the Raquette River where the natural history museum holds canoe and stand-up paddleboard trips in the summer. The gift expands the Wild Center campus to 115 acres.

“The Hull Family loved the Adirondacks, and more than anything wanted to encourage people from across New York and the country to come and see this incredible natural beauty. That’s the same thing the Wild Center has tried to capture, which is why we are honored to make this donation today,” ACR developer Tom Lawson said in a press release.

The Hull family were leaders of the Oval Wood Dish Corporation, which moved to Tupper Lake in 1915. William Cary Hull donated the land and helped found the Tupper Lake Country Club. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Scholarships Available For Kids Paddling Trips

Northern Forest Explorers paddle the Raquette RiverThere are still open spots in the Northern Forest Explorers program, which sends children aged 10-14 years old on 5-day paddling trips in the Adirondacks. Partial and full scholarships are given to children who cannot afford the cost ($500) of the trip.

The Adirondack trips are organized by Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake, in collaboration with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Participating children are provided all of the essential camping and paddling gear. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Raquette River Dam Stories, Exhibit at TAUNY

TAUNY Exhibit on Raquette RiverTAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York) is holding an opening reception for their latest exhibit, “You’ll See Our Tracks: Raquette River Dam Stories” on Saturday, June 10, 2017 .

The Raquette River, which flows from Raquette Lake to the St. Lawrence River, is one of the most heavily dammed rivers in New York State.

From 2014 to 2016, TAUNY partnered with the Raquette River Blueway Corridor Group, the Village of Potsdam, and Watertown PBS to document the stories of people involved in or significantly affected by the construction of the hydroelectric dams and powerhouses along the Raquette River. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 1, 2016

Whitewater Kayaking Featured In Colton Labor Day Weekend

kayaker on Stone Valley section of the Raquette RiverWhitewater kayaking at Stone Valley is a highlight of Labor Day weekend activities in the Town of Colton. The last two water releases of the summer by Brookfield Renewable Energy for expert-level whitewater kayakers to paddle the Stone Valley section of the Raquette River are scheduled for Saturday, September 3 and Monday, September 5. The largest turnout is expected Saturday when paddlers will be doing timed runs in the afternoon on the Class 5 section of the river which begins just below the dam in the hamlet of Colton.

Spectators can expect to see expert kayakers who come from places within the eastern United States and Canada for the predictable and challenging conditions at Stone Valley on release days. They paddle the river at their own risk and on release days they usually get going by 10 am when the water is at the full release level. Beforehand paddlers will hike the trails to check conditions of the river. » Continue Reading.



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