NEW! 05/03/12 Fifty Years of Caring for the Upper Hudson River – Rivers policy and history, stewardship of our Forest Preserve, and positive interactions with young people from Albany came together on Arbor Days, April 27-28, north of Lake Luzerne.  Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve was pleased to play a role. First, let’s review some history. read more >

NEW! 04/24/12 It’s our Wild Forest – whoever administers it - Public wild lands protected by law in New York State can fall under the public jurisdiction of a variety of state agencies. Most of it is administered by our Department of Environmental Conservation. However, some of it is part of the system of state parks administered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). In northern Saratoga County and across the Hudson River in Warren County lie more than 4,000 acres of beautiful and protected public wild land, part of the Moreau Lake State Park. Much of this land was acquired by the nonprofit Open Space Institute from Niagara Mohawk, and then sold to the public in 1998. Moreau Lake State Park tripled in size at that time, and is now the largest state park in the region. read more >

04/10/12 Remembering Harold Jerry – A columnist from the Old Forge area, Mart Allen, recently wrote for the Adirondack Express about the late Harold A. Jerry, Jr., and he inspired me to do the same. Judging from his experiences with Harold along a trap line during the winter in Herkimer County, Mart Allen concluded that Harold Jerry displayed a depth and integrity of character that should be the measure we take of all our fellow human beings, but often isn’t. That observation about Harold rang very true for me. read more >

03/24/12 What's up at the APA, Summer 1988 – 1988 was a long time ago, not just in years.  It was a different time in America. It does seem like yesterday in my life, but that’s because I’m in my mid 50s and time is speeding up.  In the Adirondack Park of 1988, as in the rest of the country, a real estate boom had been underway for some time. Speculators were getting into the game. At the Adirondack Park Agency, the number of permit applications was way up.  The park’s Resource Management and Rural Use lands – the “backcountry” - were under considerable real estate pressure. The Commission on the Adirondacks in the 21st Century would be established by Gov. Mario Cuomo the following year. In contrast with today, in 1988 a majority of Agency commissioners viewed themselves as agenda setters. read more >

03/15/12 APA lacked will, not authority to change the design of Adirondack Club and Resort – Will New York build upon its historic leadership as a steward of our protected Adirondack Park, home to people and wild nature, exhibiting the highest standards for ecosystem management? Or will that promise be lost to the lowest common denominator, where the most specious claims to the economic bottom line win the argument, a “go along-to-get along” mindset? Following the issuance of a permit by the Adirondack Park Agency for the sprawling Adirondack Club and Resort, citizens around the state are wondering. read more >

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