By Justin A. Levine – Communications Associate
Friday, August 2, 2024
Maintain the Chain event aims to clean up ADK waters one self-directed project at a time
For the third year in a row, the Adirondack Council is proud to sponsor the Maintain the Chain event with numerous partners. Maintain the Chain was created to bring environmental awareness to the Fulton Chain of Lakes in the Adirondacks. The Council has sponsored this wonderful, self-directed, week-long event as people from around the U.S. conduct environmentally-friendly projects both inside and outside of the Adirondacks. The Adirondack Council team has collected hundreds of pounds of garbage from roadsides in the Raquette River watershed as part of our Maintain the Chain support and engagement.
ADK council decries ruling on Good Neighbor Rule
The United States Supreme Court recently struck down the “Good Neighbor Rule,” which held polluters accountable if their pollution crossed state lines. The Good Neighbor Rule has been integral in reversing the effects of acid rain, but now polluters outside of New York can let dirty air waft in, harming the people and environment of New York. This ruling also comes at a time when air and water quality monitoring programs are being cut or outright shut down.
DEC debuts free mobility device use at Great Camp Santanoni
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will be offering a pilot program that will allow those with mobility issues the chance to explore the historic Great Camp Santanoni complex. The program will provide off-road wheelchairs and scooters, by reservation, to those who want to take the woods road into the great camp itself, which is 4.5 miles from the parking area.
Herbicide permits: VT vs NY’s approach to ProcellaCOR use
Vermont and New York have had different approaches to the use of ProcellaCOR, an herbicide meant to kill off invasive milfoil, but which has spillover impacts on native and protected species as well. Vermont has taken a much more cautious approach to ProcellaCOR use, while the state of New York, including the Adirondack Park Agency, have approved its use in Adirondack waters while admitting that the chemical will kill native plants that are listed as protected.
Small Adirondack community rallies to change racist hill name
The tiny hamlet of Vermontville, NY, was once a bustling little town, and was home to several of the famed “Timbuctoo” settlement parcels given to free Black men by Garrett Smith before the Civil War. Due to the concentration of Black families in the area, however, a small stream and hill were named “N****r” hill and brook. The names were subsequently changed to “N***o” brook and hill, but last year a local coalition successfully got the US Geological Survey to rename the stream John Thomas Brook in honor of one of the Black settlers of the area. Now, a similar coalition is working to rename the hill after the Murry family, who also lived and worked in the area.
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Justin Levine joined the Council staff in 2021 as the Communications and Outreach Assistant. He previously worked as a regional marketing manager for the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism and was an award-winning journalist and photographer for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News. Since graduating from Paul Smith’s College in 2004, Justin has worked in the environmental field in various roles in both the Adirondacks and Florida. When not working, Justin loves spending time with his family, running, and doing all the outdoor things the Park has to offer.