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Impact

With strong partner organizations, collaboration with elected/appointed government officials, and citizen participation, the Council successfully advocates for policies and funding that benefit the environment and communities of the Adirondack Park.

2024-2025 IMPACT

Clean Water:

  • Survey of Climate and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems (SCALE): Since 2022, the Council has advocated for millions — $2 million alone in 2024 and $4.5 million total — to fund scientific monitoring that will help track how carbon cycling, dissolved oxygen and harmful algal blooms respond to the changing climate. The data collected through SCALE will help us better understand how freshwater lakes combat climate change, and how we can better plan to protect them from climate change impacts.
  • Road Salt Reduction Council Legislation: Since the early 2000s, the Council has sounded the alarm on the hidden dangers of road salt for natural systems and for people. The Council helped lead efforts to develop, introduce, and pass legislation that would help reduce the toxic impacts of road salt to Adirondack waterbodies. In 2024, we pushed for a statewide road salt reduction council and advisory committee to make progress on the Adirondack Road Salt Task Force Report recommendations.
  • Clean Water Infrastructure: Due to Council advocacy, the cap on clean water infrastructure grants was raised from 25% to 50% of the total project cost, drastically reducing costs for small, rural communities to undertake essential water and sewer projects, like updating aging systems, to protect our Adirondack lakes and streams. Approximately $194 million in clean water funding has been granted to Adirondack Towns and Villages since 2016, leveraging more than $350 million in funding overall.

Clean Air & Climate:

  • Clean Air: Adirondack Council advocates successfully encouraged the US Environmental Protection Agency to approve a new air quality standard that will decrease the harmful effects of soot pollution by 25% or more. The new health standard will cut current allowable levels significantly and may prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays. The Council is working to defend existing pollution-reduction and monitoring programs and to publicize the Trump administration’s summary firing of the EPA’s Clean Air Science Advisory Committee.
  • Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act: The Council worked with partners to prioritize projects for funding for sections of the $4.2 Billion Act that will benefit the Park through capital projects to curb greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
  • Renewable Energy Infrastructure: The Council supported permit approval for a 40 MW solar project in the southern region of the Park – the largest solar project to date inside the Blue Line. This particular project is the first of its kind within the Adirondack Park, creating an opportunity to demonstrate how utility-scale renewable energy and agricultural uses can go hand-in-hand without compromising crucial ecological functions.

Wildlands

  • Visitor Use Management Study Underway: World class recreation management is designed to enhance healthy ecosystems and economies. In 2023, the Council helped secure $600,000 to fund a visitor use management study that will provide guidance to the state, along with other stakeholders, about data-informed best management practices.
  • Increased Environmental Protection Fund (EPF): A fully-funded EPF means more money can be available to protect open space and support conservation easements across New York State. In 2025, the Council helped secure an increase in EPF to $425 million that includes: $24 million for open space conservation, $18.88 million for invasive species prevention and $50 million for state land stewardship, and $10 million for Adirondack and Catskill visitor safety and wilderness protection, plus dedicated support for four regional visitor centers.
  • Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan Changes: The Adirondack Park Agency proposed changes to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP), which guides the management of the Forest Preserve and states, “the protection and preservation of the natural resources of the state lands within the Park must be paramount.” One of the proposed changes could open the door for new and increased motorized vehicle access in wilderness areas, where it is currently prohibited. The Council engaged tens of stakeholders, including the accessibility community and state agency and officials, and received nearly 600 public comments submitted to the APA calling for the state to balance wilderness protection with public access. As a result, the APA paused on moving the proposal forward, and the Council continues to engage on this issue.
  • Wildlife Management Plans: The Council is supporting state-wide open space land conservation and wildlife action plans that protect and enhance habitat and biodiversity within and beyond the Adirondacks.

Private Lands & Communities

  • Dark Skies Advocacy: The Adirondacks were a popular location to view the total eclipse. Thanks to communications efforts led by the Council and partners, the public was encouraged to stay off trails in the High Peaks and other sensitive, potentially dangerous locations. This proactive effort resulted in only one report of a mishap requiring ranger assistance.
  • Green Jobs: The Forever Adirondacks campaign helped secure an additional $1.25 million in funds ($5.45 million total over three years) for the Timbuctoo Climate and Careers Summer Institute. This multi-organization effort brings high school students from urban communities to the Adirondacks to learn about jobs in wilderness preservation, forest management and clean energy.
  • Essex Farm Institute: The Council is wrapping up its micro-grant program after a successful 10 years. The program awards funds to farmers and value-added food producers to support climate-friendly farming practices and energy efficient infrastructure projects in the Adirondack Park. A report capturing the impacts of the program was released in April 2025.
  • Forest Management: The Council has engaged forest ecologists, carbon experts and timber management experts to chart the future course of landscape forest management in the Adirondacks, one that supports ecological health and the communities that rely on its revenue.

2023-2024 Accomplishments

Wildlands

  • Inaugural Visitor Use Management Study Underway: World class recreation management is designed to enhance healthy ecosystems and economies. In 2023, the Council helped secure $600,000 to fund a visitor use management study that will do just that. The Council is providing guidance to the state, along with other stakeholders, about data-informed management practices.
  • $400 million Environmental Protection Fund (EPF): A fully-funded EPF means more money can be available to protect open space and support conservation easements across New York State. Working with statewide partners, the Council helped secure a $400 million EPF that had faced significant reallocations and cuts.
  • Wildlife Crossings Act (WCA) passed in Legislature: The WCA passed the NYS Legislature thanks to successful Council advocacy. The WCA calls for the Department of Transportation to identify priority wildlife crossings to allow wild animals safe passage across major highways and protect against motor vehicle accidents.
  • Dark Skies Advocacy: The Adirondacks were a popular location to view the total solar eclipse.
    Thanks to communications efforts led by the Council and partners, the public was encouraged to stay off trails in the High Peaks and other sensitive, potentially dangerous locations. This proactive effort resulted in only one report of a mishap requiring Forest Ranger assistance.

Communities

  • Green Jobs: The Forever Adirondacks campaign helped secure an additional $1.25 million in funds ($5.45 million total over three years) for the Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer Institute. This multi-organization effort brings high school students from urban communities to the Adirondacks to learn about jobs in wilderness preservation, forest management, and clean energy.
  • Clean Water Infrastructure: Due to Council advocacy, the cap on clean water infrastructure grants was raised from 25% to 50% of the total project cost. This can drastically reduce costs for small, rural communities to undertake essential water and sewer projects, like updating aging systems, to protect our Adirondack lakes and streams. Approximately $140 million in clean water funding has been granted to Adirondack towns and villages since 2016, leveraging more than $250 million in funding overall.

Clean Water & Air

  • Clean Air: Adirondack Council advocates successfully encouraged the US Environmental Protection Agency to approve a new air quality standard that will decrease the harmful effects of soot pollution  by 25% or more. The new health standard will cut current allowable levels significantly and may prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays.
  • Survey of Climate and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems (SCALE): Since 2022, the Council has advocated for millions — $2 million alone in 2024 and $4.5 million total — to fund scientific monitoring that will help track how carbon cycling, dissolved oxygen, and harmful algal blooms respond to the changing climate. The data collected through SCALE will help us better understand how freshwater lakes combat climate change, and how we can better plan to protect them from climate change impacts.
  • Road Salt Reduction Council Legislation: Since the early 2000s, the Council has sounded the alarm on the hidden dangers of road salt for natural systems and people. The Council helped lead efforts to develop, introduce and pass legislation that would reduce the toxic impacts of road salt to lakes, ponds and well water through the excessive use of road salt. In 2024, we pushed for a statewide road salt reduction council and advisory committee to lead on this issue and make progress on the Adirondack Road Salt Task Force Report recommendations.

Working Lands

  • Essex Farm Institute: The Council awarded 16 micro-grants, totaling $24,500, to farmers and value added food producers to support climate-friendly farming practices and energy efficient infrastructure projects in the Adirondack Park.
  • Forest Management: The Council has engaged forest ecologists, carbon experts, and timber
    management experts to chart the future course of landscape forest management in the Adirondacks, one that supports ecological health and the communities that rely on its revenue.
  • Wildlife Management Plans: The Council is supporting state-wide open space land conservation and wildlife action plans that protect and enhance habitat and biodiversity within and beyond the Adirondacks.

Leadership & Government

  • Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act: The Council worked with partners to prioritize
    project funding for sections of the $4.2 Billion Bond Act that will benefit the Park through capital projects that curb greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
  • Library of Congress: Forever Adirondacks Campaign Director Aaron Mair was honored by the Library of Congress which included his professional papers as part of its new collection on Environmental Justice. He is the first honoree for this new collection.
  • Legal Action When Necessary: The Council participated in lawsuits to uphold the Adirondack Park Agency’s (APA) duty to protect the Adirondack Park and its natural resources, including its ecologically significant lands and waters.
  • General Permit for Telecommunications Infrastructure: The Council supported the APA’s
    streamlining of a telecommunications permitting process that allows applicants to co-locate future cell tower projects and infrastructure. This will lessen the permitting burden on communications companies while protecting the APA’s role as a regulator to review communication tower projects that continually improve our connectivity and maintain the wild character of the Adirondack Park.