A (rail) trail to success
By Michael Virtanen
November 14, 2021
As Adirondack Park waits on rail trail construction, Pennsylvania GAP Trail boosts local business and offers hope for enthusiasts
Michael Virtanen
Michael Virtanen is a former Explorer staff reporter who also previously worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press and for daily newspapers in Albany, Utica and Amsterdam, N.Y.
The adventure swimmers
By Michael Virtanen
July 18, 2020
While many thousands of people hike Adirondack trails in the summertime, the ranks of open-water swimmers are so far just a drop in the backcountry’s bucket. By one estimate, the hard core of adventure swimmers may number as few as 100, but their enthusiasm runs deep and they recruit.
Plastic pollutes the park
By Michael Virtanen
October 15, 2019
Microplastics are polluting Adirondack streams and lakes once thought unaffected by the emerging environmental threat, according to recent research.
State lawmakers vote to extend invasive species protections
By Michael Virtanen
May 29, 2019
According to the DEC, its regulations since 2016 have required boat owners take “reasonable precautions” to clean, drain and dry their vessels, trailers and docks before launching them in any public water body.
Spreading road salt contamination
By Michael Virtanen
May 8, 2019
The Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College collected data showing that two-thirds of the wells it tested downslope from state roads were polluted by sodium beyond the federally recommended health limit of 20 parts per million. State crews spread salt to de-ice the roads, and it ultimately spills into nearby streams and leeches into the groundwater.
Four bids received for rail line to North Creek
By Michael Virtanen
April 8, 2019
Bidders are expected to propose freight and possible passenger excursions, maintain the tracks and infrastructure, and its connections to Canadian Pacific and points south, according to the bid request.
New York budget deal bans single-use plastic bags; poll shows support
By Michael Virtanen
March 31, 2019
The overall package of bills the Senate and Assembly were expected to approve would authorize spending $175.5 billion in the fiscal year that was set to begin April 1.
NY Legislature lowers limit for hunting while intoxicated
By Michael Virtanen
March 27, 2019
Hunting while intoxicated is a misdemeanor under New York’s conservation law, which cites the risk of injury and death to those hunters and others.
Sewage overflows heighten budget debate
By Michael Virtanen
March 25, 2019
The primary causes of sewage overflows statewide are rain and snowmelt that infiltrate sanitary sewer systems and overwhelm treatment plants
DEC requests another hold on rail line abandonment
By Michael Virtanen
March 22, 2019
The DEC abandonment filing noted that the state has added nearly 70,000 acres of wildlands since 2012 that either lie along or would be accessible from the line, which "could represent an unparalleled opportunity to provide public access to some of the Adirondack Park’s most beautiful wild spaces."