Blog

The Adirondack Park Agency is undergoing significant changes in leadership. Two long-time board members will retire at the end of the month, including the chairwoman, while three new members were appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and confirmed by the state Senate. Retiring at the end of June are chairwoman Leilani C. Ulrich of Old Forge and board member Richard Booth of Ithaca.

Adirondack Council supporters are grateful to the Legislature for paying careful attention to the needs of Adirondack Park communities at the end of the 2016 session. Some important community initiatives were addressed, with the help of thousands of letters from Council members and others who wrote to lawmakers in support of legislative initiatives proposed by local governments last week.

As the 2016 Legislative Session draws to a close, the Adirondack Council is working with local government officials to gain approval for a constitutional amendment that would expand the "forever wild" Forest Preserve and help communities address their needs for climate resiliency and telecommunications.

On June 14,, the 2016 Clean Energy Economy Conference is being held at the SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica. The two-day conference is the third held at the new college by members of the North Country and Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Councils.

Governor Andrew Cuomo traveled to the Adirondacks on May 10 to celebrate the state's recent acquisition from the Adirondack Nature Conservancy of the Boreas Ponds tract. The Adirondack Council has been preparing for this announcement knowing that it would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the High Peaks Wilderness Area and create 280,000 acres of contiguous Wilderness in the heart of the Adirondacks.

Wilderness is what sets the Adirondack Park apart from all other protected forests in the Northeast. But does wilderness preservation harm economic growth? Do people shy away from buying homes and businesses inside the Adirondack Park? How about near Wilderness Areas? According to a recent study by Clarkson University, the answer is: No!

The is an account of how New York State purchased the Essex Chain Lakes parcel by Joe Martens who was the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation at the time.

ATVs are a persistent problem in the "forever wild" Adirondack Forest Preserve, where they can cause severe damage to trails and off-trail areas. The Adirondack Council supports a general ban on ATV riding in the Forest Preserve, but also supports the establishment of legal riding areas on private lands and on lands where the state has purchased recreation rights.

We are at a tipping point in the Adirondack Park. Both threats and opportunities seem greater than ever, with excitement swirling over the state acquisition of the Boreas Ponds tract and recent concerns expressed by Adirondack Park Agency (APA) board member Dick Booth about the trajectory of the agency.

Read Ray Johnson's blog on climate change and how, in this past February, we set a record. But it wasn't for anything good.