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Contacts:
Connie Prickett/The Nature Conservancy: 518-576-2082
Tildy La Farge/Open Space Institute: 212-629-3981 ext 224
John Sheehan/Adirondack Council: 518-432-1770

Released, Monday, February 2, 2004

Albany, NY, February 2 —– The Open Space Institute, The Nature Conservancy and the Adirondack Council applaud the Bush Administration’s proposal to provide a record $100 million for the United States Forest Service (USFS) Federal Forest Legacy in the proposed FY’O5 budget. If passed, the President’s plan would allocate $2.5 million in federal funding for the Tahawus Tract, a 10,000-acre property in the heart of the Adirondacks.

The congressionally authorized Forest Legacy program enables the Federal Government to work with states and private landowners to enhance the management of America’s forest resources. A partnership between the Forest Service, state governments and private landowners, the program protects ecologically important forest habitat through land acquisition or the use of conservation easements, which protect working forests while meeting important conservation goals.

The 10,000-acre Tahawus Tract, has long been a priority acquisition for New York State. Adjacent to the High Peaks Wilderness, the tract includes Mount Adams, a popular hiking destination, and the 450-acre Henderson Lake, the source of the Hudson River. In August, the Open Space Institute acquired the property with the intent of selling it to the State of New York. “If the President’s Forest Legacy appropriations are passed, the State of New York will have greater flexibility to pursue its land acquisition goals in priority areas like the High Peaks Wilderness. And that’s great news for New Yorkers,” said Joe Martens, president of the Open Space Institute. “Forest Legacy funding will play a critical role in helping the State add approximately 6,000 acres of this land to the Adirondack Forest Preserve while keeping nearly 4,000 acres in working forest.” Martens noted that federal funding for the Tahawus Tract will be matched 3-to-1 by additional funds from state, local and private sources.

According to Henry Tepper, director of The Nature Conservancy of New York, the Tahawus Tract is a prime candidate for Forest Legacy funding because of its diverse natural resources. “The Adirondacks harbor some of the best remaining examples of hardwood forests, bogs, lakes, rivers, alpine summits, and spruce-fir forests typical of the 31-million-acre northern forest that spans New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and parts of southern Québec,” said Tepper. “The Tahawus tract adds to a larger protected landscape, keeping important habitat unbroken. Appropriating $2.5 million in Forest Legacy Funding toward this project is great for the Adirondacks and terrific for New York State,” Tepper continued.

The Tahawus Tract provides critical habitat for rare species of wildlife. “The Tahawus Talus, a cliff-bottom rock formation covered in moss and forest, at the northern end of the parcel, is home to the long-tailed shrew and the rock vole. Permanent protection of this land will guarantee these rare and elusive species a better chance of survival in a world where their habitat is rapidly disappearing,” said Brian L. Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council. “We are grateful that the President has gone out of his way to take note of the importance of the Adirondack Park and to assist in completing this vital conservation project,” continued Houseal.

Log on to http://www.osiny.org for more information about the Tahawus Tract and the Open Space Institute’s Northern Forest Protection Fund. Or visit http://www.nature.org to learn about The Nature Conservancy, a worldwide science-based conservation organization whose efforts in the Adirondacks alone have led to the protection of more than 282,200 acres. Visit other sections of this website to find out more information about The Adirondack Council, the largest citizen environmental group in New York State working full-time, on a daily basis in the Adirondack Park, in the state capital and in Washington to preserve this six-million-acre treasure.

The Open Space Institute (http://www.osiny.org) is a non-profit land conservation organization that protects significant recreational, environmental, agricultural and historic landscapes. Founded in 1963, OSI has protected more than 90,000 acres in New York State. Through its Northern Forest Protection Fund, OSI has assisted in the protection of close to 875,000 acres in NY, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. OSI's recently launched New Jersey Conservation Loan Program has helped protect more than 10,000 acres in the nation’s most densely populated state.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, non-profit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 100 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. On the Web at http://www.nature.org.

The Adirondack Council (http://www.adirondackcouncil.org) is a not-for-profit environmental group that has been working since 1975 to protect the open-space resources of New York State's six-million-acre Adirondack Park and to help sustain the natural and human communities of the region. Based in the Adirondacks with a second office in Albany, the Adirondack Council has a staff of 15 and a strong and vocal membership of 18,000.