Blog

Will Lutkewitte -has been working as a Clarence Petty Intern for the Adirondack Council this summer assisting with the Council’s long-range VISION Project. One facet of the project addresses Adirondack Park governance and ways it can be positioned for success in the future. He looked agencies around the country that were facing similar challenges as the Adirondack Park Agency, and how they could provide possible model solutions.

Wild Thoughts is a three-part blog series on wilderness ethics and management written in anticipation of the 2020 Adirondack Wilderness Symposium. Organized in part by Adirondack Council, the Symposium (dates TBD) will be open to the public and will feature programming on such varied topics as the legal status of wilderness in New York State, wilderness management in the era of climate change, and the more intangible, philosophical character of wilderness. Similarly, each segment of this summer-long blog series will tackle a different, broad wilderness-related question. Together, the Symposium and this series will attempt to offer a comprehensive, 21st-century consideration of wilderness as a legal concept, an ecological condition, and a cultural phenomenon.

Twice a year, Adirondack stakeholders meet to discuss the current state of invasive species management in the Park. On July 22, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program partners convened for this year’s summer meeting. At the event, the Adirondack Council and other organizations from around the Park discussed past progress and desired ecological and legislative outcomes on invasive species.

More than 275 people gathered last week for the 2019 Adirondack Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Forum, now in its 13th year, to discuss current challenges and opportunities for the Adirondack Park. The CGA is a diverse network of dedicated people who focus on addressing issues that affect the whole Adirondack Park: its communities, institutions, people and environment.

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 have 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

Wild Thoughts is a three-part blog series on wilderness ethics and management written in anticipation of the 2020 Adirondack Wilderness Symposium. Organized in part by the Adirondack Council, the Symposium will be open to the public and will feature programming on such varied topics as the legal status of wilderness in New York State, wilderness management in the era of climate change, and the more intangible, philosophical character of wilderness. Similarly, each segment of this summer-long blog series will tackle a different, broad wilderness-related question. Together, the Symposium and this blog series will seek to offer a comprehensive, 21st Century consideration of wilderness as a legal concept, an ecological condition and cultural phenomenon. 

Agriculture in the Adirondacks, much like in other regions of the country, has been experiencing both economic strain and a shift in farmer and operation demographics. In 2017, over half of farm operations in the Adirondacks experienced net losses. There are fewer farms in the region overall, although farms are, on average, getting larger.

Adirondack Park residents are surrounded by hydropower facilities that generate four times more power than all of the residents and businesses inside the Park can possibly use. But almost none of it is available for purchase by local consumers, except in communities with their own electric systems and contracts with the NY Power Authority. Instead, most Adirondack hydropower is transmitted downstate to meet the demands of 19.5 million residents.

Long-term monitoring is one of the most critical components of accurately assessing the health of an ecosystem. The Counci'ls Julia Goren and some other staff people spent the day on Wright Peak conducting some long-term monitoring of alpine plants.

When the 2019 NYS Legislative Session ended on the morning of June 21, there were some clear statewide victories to celebrate for clean air, clean water and public health in the form of sweeping new laws that position New York as the global leader on climate change and provide grants for communities seeking to rebuild failing wastewater and drinking water infrastructure.