The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Mike Lynch has been the Explorer's climate reporter since January 2025 and has worked for the publication since 2014. In addition to writing about climate change, he covers issues related to wildlife. Mike has also worked as a licensed outdoor guide and thru-paddled the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. He is the author of 12 Short Hikes on Preserves near Lake George. He can be reached at [email protected].
By Mike Lynch
A choice passage in Curt Stager’s new book Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes puts the author and a group of his Paul Smith’s College students in a remote spot near Lake Baikal, deep in the wilds of Siberia. With his charges nearby but otherwise occupied, Stager wanders off alone and blunders into some…
By Mike Lynch
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued guidance on how to prevent negative encounters with black bears. Nearly all negative bear encounters in New York are the result of hungry bears being attracted to human food sources. The simplest way to avoid a nuisance encounter is to remove potential food sources, which…
By Mike Lynch
Here is the statewide Forest Ranger report for April 9-16. Town of Fort Ann Washington County Search: On April 10 at 5:03 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a transferred call from Warren County 911. The caller had poor cell phone service, but stated she was lost near a campsite on Lake George. The call…
By Mike Lynch
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the release of the final Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan for New York. “Lake Sturgeon have been listed as a threatened species in New York since 1983, and this plan will provide DEC and our partners with a clear blueprint to achieve recovery…
By Mike Lynch
The 13th Annual Paddling Film Festival will make an appearance at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on Friday. The Paddling Film Festival is an international adventure film tour presenting the world’s best paddling films of the year – whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, action and lifestyle – in more than 120 cities and towns…
By Mike Lynch
Ice out appears to be at least a couple of weeks away on many of lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks. However, Long Lake has lost some of its ice cover north of the Route 30 bridge. Long Lake is part of the Raquette River, which flows north through the High Peaks Wilderness toward Coreys…
By Mike Lynch
Conditions were optimal for skiing in the Adirondacks on March 15, when Explorer editor Phil Brown and I hit the trails near Tupper Lake. The area had received a series of snowstorms over the prior days and weeks, meaning the snowpack was a few feet deep. We started off the morning by skiing Coney Mountain,…
By Mike Lynch
Explorer Editor Phil Brown and I skied Coney Mountain yesterday as part of a daylong ski trip. Phil went on to ski all three mountains of the Tupper Lake Triad (Coney, Goodman, and Arab), while I skied the first two, before heading home for a family event. The skiing on the 2,265-foot mountain was outstanding…
By Mike Lynch
The northern Adirondacks were hit with more snow the past few days, continuing what has been a snowy March. The fairly deep snowpack means that skiing is great in many places in the northern Adirondacks right now. The Jackrabbit Trail is in great condition and all the crosscountry centers should be in good shape. The…
By Mike Lynch
The National Weather Service in Burlington has issued an avalanche warning for the Adirondacks as a result of recent weather patterns. “Recent heavy snowfall combined with previous warm ups have created the potential for avalanches in the exposed backcountry of the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Adirondacks in northern New York,” according to National…