Blog

On February 7, a blustery winter storm cancelled all budget testimony that the Legislature was slated to hear regarding the environmental priorities in the 2018-19 Executive Budget proposal. While the hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 27, our Director of Government Relations has already submitted written budget testimony. Read on to discover what the Adirondack Council is saying about the Governor's budget proposal.

In 2017, Governor Cuomo announced that New York State will invest $20 million in upgrades to the ski facilities at Whiteface and Gore Mountains. This is part of a plan to boost tourism in the area, and draw skiers with more modern ski facilities, attract major sporting events. This means changes will be needed for the Gore and Whiteface Unit Management Plans. Last week, the Adirondack Council submitted an official comment letter to ORDA on these proposed changes.

This week, the Adirondack Council urged Governor Cuomo to drop a provision in his 2018-19 budget proposal that would halt state property tax payments to localities for state-owned Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Instead, the state would make payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOTs). Upon first glance, it may seem like it’s a good idea, but when you take a closer look, you realize it’s not.

This spring, public radio listeners and students across Upstate New York will be working with the Adirondack Council to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from electric power plants. They will be joined by college students in Potsdam, bomb-train protesters in Albany and climate activists in Boston who will help us to curb carbon emissions. It’s easy to participate.

The Boreas Tract is just one part of the proposed classification or reclassification of 54,418 acres of State Lands in the Adirondack Park. The Governor’s Adirondack Park Agency drafted a set of amendments to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP) that included some 100 other proposed classifications, reclassifications, and/or map corrections as part of a large Appendix A of the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

Adirondack 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 News aims to highlight both threats and opportunities concerning the Park’s ecological integrity, wild character and community vibrancy.

Last Wednesday afternoon, the Adirondack Council went to court in Albany to fight a lawsuit that threatens the future of wilderness preservation in the Adirondack Park.

Wildlife biologists at the Department of Environmental Conservation are asking for the public’s help in their ongoing monitoring of black bear dens during the winter season. Learn some interesting facts about bears and how you can identify evidence of bear activity, territory and living quarters.

On cold, snowy December 30, our guest author Audrey Hyson and her friend Penny participated in the 61th Annual Saranac Lake Christmas bird count. Read about why Audrey's and Penny's holiday tradition is actually for the birds.

Monday, January 15, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This American federal holiday marks the birthday of this iconic civil rights movement activist, celebrate “the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America.” We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Adirondacks with a look back into the history of diversity in the North Country. We chatted with Sally Svenson, author of Blacks in the Adirondacks, a new book that dives into the history and life of African Americans inside the blue line.