Blog

This week, we celebrated World Rivers Day on Saturday, September 30 by advocating for the health and respect of rivers in the Adirondacks and elsewhere. Today, while water quality in the Adirondack watersheds is generally very good, these areas still have prominent water quality challenges that have been a concern for quite some time.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Adirondack Park! On May 20, 1892, the New York State Legislature and Governor Roswell P. Flower created the Adirondack Park Enabling Act which essentially created the Park's Blue Line boundary. Come along as I tell the story of our Adirondack Park to celebrate its 125th Birthday!

Celebrate National Invasive Species Awareness Week by learning about invasive species, what they can do to our lands and waters and how we can help prevent them from spreading. We all need to do our part to protect our favorite places from invasive species. Spread the word...not the invasives!

When you think about what the Adirondacks mean to you, remember that the success of the Adirondack Park depends on many different funding sources and policy initiatives. The Adirondack Council has full-time presence in our state capitol to ensure that New York's budget and policies keep the best interests of the waters, wildlife and communities of the Adirondacks.

It's troubling to hear the Trump transition team talk about gutting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and bringing back coal as a fuel for making electricity. Burning coal leads to acid rain, mercury contamination, and climate change. New York has some of the best clean air laws in the nation, but they aren't enough to protect the Adirondack Park from smokestacks in the Ohio Valley, if they start burning coal again.

As we enjoy the holiday season, reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the next, will you do one more thing for the Adirondacks? There's still time to send a letter to the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and tell them that you want motor-free Wilderness for the Boreas Ponds. The APA will accept your comments until Friday, December 30.

This summer along with the rest of the Northeast, the Adirondack Park has experienced a record-breaking dry season. Rivers, lakes and streams were unusually low, and farms and gardens required extra sources of water. With precipitation below average, many of us are wondering what will this do to our usually vibrant fall foliage? In short, it could go either way.

At Paul Smith's College in late July, the Adirondack Lakes Alliance hosted their second Lake and River Symposium, aiming to educate lake and river associations in watershed and lake/river management.

Last week, Governor Cuomo presented his 2016-17 budget proposal and report on the state of the state. With these proposals, the Governor has shown how he wants the state to better protect water, wildlife, wilderness, and communities, both in the Adirondacks and statewide.

Read about one Adirondack Council staff member's hike in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness and the hope for a bright future for the Adirondack Park.