DEC spots 175 moose in aerial survey
By Mike Lynch
State wildlife staff completed their annual winter aerial surveys for the animal in January.
Stories
Timber, environmental interests seek consensus
To reach a consensus, stakeholders will have to cover a lot of ground. Privately owned forestland comprises a large share of the Adirondack Park, alongside 2.6 million acres of state-owned forest preserve that won’t be logged.
Groups sue state over snowmobile trail on scenic river
Protect the Adirondacks and Adirondack Wild last week filed a state court challenge in Warren County arguing that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation violated state law in granting itself a variance to build a 9-foot-wide trail and a 12-foot-wide bridge on the Cedar River north of Indian Lake.
Storm prompts avalanche advisory in Adirondacks
By Mike Lynch
Recreationists can trigger avalanches when there is deep snow on steep slopes. While much of the steep open slopes are in the High Peaks, avalanche-prone terrain is found on mountains throughout the Adirondacks, including Snowy Mountain in Hamilton County.
Housing crunch limits Adirondack economy
The good news is that overall unemployment is low, meaning that a lot of park residents have jobs. The bad news is that economic growth is almost impossible without additional workers to perform the work.
Adirondack Wild founding partner leaves group
Dan Plumley has worked on park conservation issues since the New York Department of Environmental Conservation hired him as a ranger in 1982. He went on to work with other nonprofits, and in 2010 he helped found Adirondack Wild.
Mountaineer enters a new era
By Mike Lynch
In the mid-1970s, the McClelland family built The Mountaineer gear store in Keene Valley out of local hemlock and spruce. “I pounded the nails into this thing,” Vinny McClelland said.
Adirondack advocates seek smarter growth plans
The clamor for a new way intensified over the last decade as critics watched the Adirondack Park Agency approve a massive second-home resort around the Big Tupper Ski Area without what they considered adequate regard for nature. The agency responded with a new process that asks developers of large subdivisions to help assess their land and their plan’s effects on it.
Forest rangers rescue solo hiker who lost trail on Marcy
Forest rangers rescued a woman who was hiking alone and lost the marked trail during a snow squall that delivered white-out conditions. Essex County 911 identified the subject’s cell phone coordinates and instructed her on how to get back on the trail. Due to weather conditions, forest ranger Kevin Burns hiked to the woman’s location to assist her off the mountain.
State of influence
Environmental leaders, current and former staff officials, and legislative operatives will say they think the Adirondack Park Agency is under the thumb of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.