Forest fire renews pine barrens at Flat Rock
By Tim Rowland
Dry and hot, the Flat Rock is a pepperbox that almost pleads to be burned with some regularity. Even so, it had been 60 years since the last meaningful fire.
Stories
Hiking apps help but don’t replace maps
Hikers should note that trail apps can never replace a paper map; they’re useful tools, but they rely on phone batteries that can die. Especially in the winter, when batteries often die in the cold, it is important that hikers use apps to supplement their paper maps, not the other way around.
Election could boost Adirondack conservation bills
The November election removed a GOP roadblock in the Senate that has stopped several conservation measures in the past, advocates said.
Perilous days in the mountains
Three DEC Forest Rangers assisted Long Lake Rescue Squad recover a 51-year-old Ontario, Canada man who had cardiac arrest on the trail to Owl's Head Mountain. Members of the man's group performed CPR but the man was deceased when Rangers and rescue personnel arrived at the scene
Rangers rescue hunting party
On Nov. 25 at approximately 6:30 p.m., ECO Bret Canary received a call from a group of hunters in the Wolf Lake State Forest in St. Lawrence County. The group had lost communications with a member of their hunting party.
Who should pay for Great Sacandaga Lake dam operations? Cuomo vetoes study
Hydroelectric companies previously had paid most of the dam’s operating cost and passed it on to their customers, until a federal court in 2008 ordered the formula changed to comport with federal regulations.
Ski trails open up, waters ice over
By Mike Lynch
Some ponds and lakes are freezing up early, and people are already hitting groomed and backcountry ski trails.
Adirondack Park Agency’s next leader could break mold
By James Odato
Karen Feldman's widely expected appointment would signal an opening to a larger pool of future appointees to the job, as she would be the rare agency leader selected from outside the Adirondack Park.
DEC seeks comments on proposed snowmobile trail near Raquette Lake
By Mike Lynch
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking public input regarding a proposal in an amendment to the Blue Ridge Wilderness unit management plan to develop a multi-use community connector trail along State Route 28 in Hamilton County.
The Explorer brings in-depth reporting to underreported issues
NewsMatch has awarded the Explorer a matching dollar-for-dollar grant up to $25,000 for donations given between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018.