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Judge to hear arguments in November in dispute over public’s right to paddle on privately owned waterway. By Kenneth Aaron The landowners suing Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown for trespass say he’s just the latest in a long line of people who have tried to pry open closed waters for public use, and if he…
In pursuing their passion, a crew of mountain bikers creates a resource for all in the greater Lake Placid region. By Alan Wechsler I’m following Keith McKeever and his friends up a mountain-bike trail on a bright summer afternoon. The trail climbs smoothly but unrelentingly as it switchbacks up the side of Winch Mountain in…
Critics say existing regulations are inadequate to stop upland development from marring the natural beauty of the Adirondack Park. By Kim Martineau In a field bordered by forested hills and rocky ridges, Dan Plumley unfurled a zoning map of the Adirondack Park. The color-coded map was a reminder of how much private land lay…
A great day for the Park One of the most exciting acquisitions of land for the Forest Preserve in years has been expected since the Nature Conservancy bought 161,000 acres of land from Finch Paper in 2007. But as the state government fell into financial crisis and opposition to the purchase grew even among previous…
By Tom Woodman On an August day that was sweltering even in the Adirondacks, a woman from Troy entered the waters of Schroon Lake, tears running down her cheeks, and sat in the water, escaping the heat and basking in the views of the mountains across the lake. Attended closely by her son, and surrounded…
By Phil Brown A wall of rock 1,200 feet high and a quarter-mile wide tends to stand out. Indeed, the North Face of Gothics is one of the most conspicuous landmarks of the High Peaks, drawing the eye whether you’re in downtown Lake Placid or on top of Mount Marcy. Yes, the North Face…
State attorney general asks judge to dismiss claims against Explorer editor in navigation-rights dispute. By Kenneth Aaron More than three years after Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown paddled through private land on Shingle Shanty Brook and almost two years after he was slapped with a lawsuit accusing him of trespass, the parties in…
Starting in the village of Saranac Lake, a family paddles up the island-studded Lower Saranac Lake and the Saranac River to Middle Saranac Lake and on to Weller Pond. They picked a trek that would be child-friendly and convenient—that is, no carries.
Critics say political compromises in the 1970s have led to a degradation of waterfront and water quality in the Adirondacks. By Brian Mann On a gray, rain-swept morning, environmental activist Peter Bauer points to the Lake George shoreline just outside the hamlet of…
After years of anticipation, DEC signs deal to acquire former Finch, Pruyn lands over the next five years. By Phil Brown After five years of anticipation, the deal is signed: over the next five years, New York State will purchase sixty-five thousand acres of…