Listening to the Adirondacks

Residents reflect on belonging, bias and what it means to feel welcome at recent listening sessions

By David Escobar

This spring, North Country Public Radio and the Adirondack Explorer hosted a series of community listening sessions across the Adirondack Park. At each stop, locals gathered to talk about the region’s diversity, or lack thereof, and what it might take to create a more inclusive region.

The events are part of a multi-year reporting project focused on race, disability, indigenous history and culture and LGBTQ+ issues in the Adirondacks, and what can be done to make the region more welcoming.

These are some of the key themes that emerged.

‘This is not a community for me’

In Old Forge, housing dominated the conversation. The town depends heavily on seasonal tourism, but service workers often struggle to find places they can afford to live. Several attendees pointed to a failed housing proposal from two years ago—a plan that would have added 52 mixed-income apartments to the area.

The proposal was ultimately struck down, in part due to community concerns about outsiders moving in, including refugees from Utica. The backlash still stirs strong emotions, especially among younger residents who have tried to build lives in the area.

“We’re very much an insular community,” said Dan Kiefer-Bach, who lives in Eagle Bay. “When that [project] fell apart and in the fashion that it did, it signaled to me that this is not a community for me.”

Locals also raised concerns about the rising cost of housing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought a surge of new buyers and drove up real estate prices. Longtime residents and newcomers said they are being increasingly priced out.

“This is a great place to live,” said Old Forge resident Don Kelly. “It’s a hard place to make a living, especially if you’ve got a family and kids.

The limits of community

Across the listening sessions, people spoke about the tight-knit nature of many Adirondack towns, which contain communities built on deep, multigenerational roots.

Haleigh Brannon, a seventh-generation Adirondacker, grew up in Minerva before moving away. Now married, she returned last year to be closer to family. She said the town’s spirit of resilience and neighborliness is unlike anything she has seen elsewhere.

“I wish everyone could get to experience and see that because it’s really special, and it’s rare in this country,” said Brannon.

Still, for newcomers or those who do not fit the traditional mold of an Adirondack local, a warm welcome is not guaranteed. Alongside ongoing questions about who counts as a “native” or a “transplant,” several residents said class divisions are also a barrier to inclusion.

“We have a very diverse community,” said North River resident Judy Brown. “We have people that are well-to-do, retiring up here with their second homes, and we have a very poor community.”

Sharon Barker, also from North River, said that when people talk about inclusion in the Adirondacks, there are two issues that need to be addressed.

“One is attracting people to live here, and one is making people feel welcome recreating here,” Barker said. “And those intersect, but they’re not the same thing.”

Others said the region needs to offer more entry points for outdoor recreation, especially for young people. Some hoped that by helping visitors engage with the Park more deeply, they might eventually consider staying long-term.

Grappling with hostility

The final listening session was held in Tupper Lake, just weeks after federal immigration officials detained nine undocumented workers at a local sawmill. Attendees said the raid has had a chilling effect, prompting some foreign-born residents, particularly in the service industry, to keep a lower profile out of fear.

Other residents pointed to a deeper discomfort: the racism they have seen and experienced in town. Confederate flags and derogatory signs have been reported in Tupper Lake in the past, with some believing bigoted feelings continue to linger.

At all three sessions, participants grappled with the nature of exclusion in their towns, considering whether it stems from local culture, broader national divisions or both. One recurring idea was the role schools can play in shaping a more inclusive future among young Adirondackers.

Drew Benware, a teacher at Saranac Lake Central School, said educators have a role to play in teaching acceptance but that the burden cannot fall on them alone.

“Teachers are in contact with students for six hours a day, if that,” Benware said. “All the conversations that we have with them can be undone around the dinner table. The family environment is really what shapes the children.”

NCPR and the Explorer will continue to report on these themes—looking at how Adirondack communities are trying to grow more welcoming, and the roadblocks they are still facing.

David Escobar is a Report For America Corps Member. He reports on diversity issues in the Adirondacks through a partnership between North Country Public Radio and Adirondack Explorer.