5 Things You Need to Know | September ADK Conservation News
By: Casey Marvell - Adirondack Council's Policy Fellow
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Adirondack Conservation News is a collection of the most current events taking place in New York’s Adirondack Park, a unique national treasure and legacy we inherited over 100 years ago, that we must to protect for future generations. Adirondack Conservation News aims to highlight both threats and opportunities concerning the Park’s ecological integrity, wild character and community vibrancy.
Groups Want Constitutional Amendment for Mount Van Ho Tree Cutting
The Adirondack Council and partners are calling for a Constitutional Amendment for the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex. Environmental groups want a Constitutional Amendment for future upgrades at the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) facility. The Adirondack Council and partners believe that an amendment is needed to address the legality of making or maintaining improvements for sporting activities and other uses at the ORDA facility.
Adirondack Council: Park’s Popularity is Blessing and Curse
The Adirondack Council released its annual State of the Park Report that grades governmental actions of this past year and provides feedback to.those who manage the Park. The report, titled Challenged by Success, highlights that while the Adirondacks are benefiting from a surge in tourism, the state must manage use in a way that will preserve the Park's ecological integrity and wild character. The Council’s 2020 priorities include strengthening boat washing legislation to prevent the spread of invasive species, enacting a comprehensive management plan to address overuse, and ensuring appointees to the Adirondack Park Agency board have expertise in environmental law and land management.
Changes in Store For Sentinel Range Wilderness
The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comments on proposed changes to the Sentinel Range Wilderness Area Unit Management Plan. This Wilderness Area is in northeast Essex County and covers 23,874 acres. The plan includes relocating the trailhead to the western portion of Pitchoff Mountain, building appropriate capacity parking lots for certain trailheads as well as convening a focus group of stakeholders to develop a Park-wide policy on the management of fixed anchors for rock climbing on the Forest Preserve. The comment period is open to the public until October 11, 2019.
Union for Forest Rangers Stress Importance of Staff Increases
With the Adirondacks experiencing a record number of hikers and outdoor recreationalists, New York State Forest Rangers continue to call on government officials to increase their staffing. Forest Rangers cite that they are tasked with over 360 search and rescues per year and in the Adirondacks, Rangers are responsible for covering twice the acreage that they once covered a few decades ago. The Department of Environmental Conservation claims that staffing is currently adequate. However, Forest Rangers and their supporters state that low staffing numbers are draining current Rangers, risking public safety and jeopardizing the protection of environmentally sensitive public lands.
EPA denies New York's smog petition, despite concerns for Adirondacks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Sept. 20 that it will not assist New York State with smog pollution from upwind states. This decision will hurt the Adirondack Park, which has been recovering from air pollution and acid rain. In March 2018, the state petitioned the EPA to enforce the Clean Air Act's “Good Neighbor” provision. This stipulates that the EPA must enforce pollution controls on coal-fired power plants upwind from states whose air quality is being negatively affected. New York argued these plants are harming its air quality. Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in an unofficial EPA document, that it didn’t find any evidence that New York’s claims were true.
Casey Marvel is the Policy Fellow in the Council’s Albany office. He assists the government relations and communication teams by tracking legislation, researching issues and advocating for the Adirondacks. A native of Niskayuna, New York, Casey recently completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Albany, and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Political Science. Casey has always been intrigued and passionate about the Adirondacks, having visited the Park throughout his life, from fishing at Paradox Lake, to r
