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Guest Author, Brendan Wiltse Science & Stewardship Director for the Ausable River Association, discusses the potential water quality impacts of recreational use in the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

During the Adirondack Council’s recent conference Acid Rain: Securing Our Gains, Finishing the Job, Jordan Ross of Trout Power won enthusiastic support from an audience of more than 50 scientists and environmental advocates as he recounted the group’s recent work documenting the recovery of native brook trout in Adirondack waters. 

Do you know which watershed you live in? A watershed simply means that water flows across the surface and drains into a river, lake or aquifer. Read our blog to find out more about watersheds and what you can do to help protect them.

For over 40 years, the Adirondack Council has been an effective, non-partisan advocate for the Adirondacks. In both Albany and the Adirondacks, our conservation advocacy and education is ongoing. Looking back over this past fiscal year, we’ve accomplished a lot of good for the Adirondacks. We owe thanks to our tens of thousands of advocates across the nation who support our mission and vision and count on the Council to be the watchdog for the Adirondack Park.

With more than 5,000 miles of public highways in the Adirondack Park, even small decisions about seasonal maintenance can have a major impact on the Park’s long term health. A recent study by Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) of 358 private wells across the Adirondack Park found that salt used to clear ice and snow from roads in the wintertime is contaminating groundwater and seeping into private wells at an alarming rate.

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.