September algae blooms follow summer beach closures
Three state beaches in the Adirondacks had temporary closures this summer because of high coliform bacteria counts or algae blooms, according to environmental authorities.
Stories
Oil pollution still oozes at Star Lake mine
By Tim Rowland
Cleaning up oil pollution at the J&L mine site in star lake will cost $30 million.
Conference eyes ADK climate change, adaptation
North Country Climate Reality plans to help Adirondack Park residents and local officials envision ways of adapting with a one-day conference in Silver Bay on Lake George next month.
Lakes recovering from acid rain
By James Odato
Adirondack water bodies ravaged by acidic precipitation for years are springing back to life, and fish and wildlife are returning.
DEC kills nuisance bear at Saranac Lake Islands Campground
By Mike Lynch
The state Department of Environmental Conservation killed a black bear at a Saranac Lake Islands Campground in the northern Adirondacks last week.
Exploring the caves below Wallface
We were following in the footsteps of a man named Robert “Bob” Carroll Jr., unknown to most of the world but a giant in the secretive world of northeastern caving. Carroll, who died in 2005, was obsessed with underground exploration. For decades, he traveled all over the Adirondacks, mostly by himself, seeking out caves that had not yet been discovered. For this he would pore over topographical maps, looking for rock outcrops that might hide a underground passage in their midst. He would hike upwards of thirty miles a day.
Generations of Hornbecks on the trail to Castle Rock
The hike, up Castle Rock in Blue Mountain Lake in July, was a big deal for us. Dad was an avid hiker for years until his knees deteriorated and the pain forced him to stop. He still did a lot of things—biking, paddling, fishing, and camping—but hiking was off limits. Last fall, he had his second knee replaced, and by spring he was ready to hike with two bionic knees. He was on the trail with me and my sons, Rushton, who is eight, and Devlin, who is six, for the first time.
An in-depth look at conservation easements
Most new land preservation in the 5.8-million-acre Park over the past twenty-five years has been done through state-purchased easements, now covering 781,000 acres, or about 13 percent of the Park. About 98 percent contain working forest, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Timber managers say cutting promotes forest health
The two timber investment management organizations together currently control almost two-thirds of all 781,000 privately owned acres of Adirondack timberlands that are covered by state conservation easements. The agreements call for sustainable forestry, essentially cutting less timber than the tracts grow as measured over ten-year periods.
Environmental groups want more oversight of easements
Some environmentalists want more active state oversight of the 781,000 acres of privately owned timberlands in the Adirondacks that are governed by conservation easements with New York.