As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. The state has planned to cut a snowmobile trial in the Blue Ridge Wilderness. Adirondack Wild has argued that this would violate Article 14 of the constitution, which mandates the forest preserve be kept as “wild forest land forever”. The debate over whether plans to cut the trail are constitutional made this a popular read on the Explorer’s website. Read the story.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 8
When climbing the Trap Dike, hikers can expect to see scenery of other summits in the high peaks including Iriquois, Algonquin, Wright, Marshall, and Santanonis.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 9
Avalanches in the High Peaks are considered rare. Skiers and climbers have triggered them in places such as the Trap Dike, Angel Slides and other steep slopes over the years.
Top Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 10
Increased numbers of hikers in the region have raised concerns about trail erosion and safety of hikers and drivers along busy Route 73. Cars park for miles along the side of the roadway.
The Explorer brings in-depth reporting to underreported issues
NewsMatch has awarded the Explorer a matching dollar-for-dollar grant up to $25,000 for donations given between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018.
Wendy Hall’s favorite place: The grassy fields along Route 22 in Westport
It might come as a surprise that one of Wendy Hall’s favorite spot in the Adirondacks isn’t the most scenic. It’s a brown field in winter. But driving along Route 22 a few years ago, Hall spotted short-eared owls in the fields on the farmland in that area—making the place infinitely more scenic. She pulled the car over to watch the owls through the fence of a local farm. The area is a perfect place to see winter raptors this time of year, she said, including threatened harrier hawks during the day and endangered short-eared owls at dusk, in the >>More
Great Lakes Author Dan Egan talks about invasive species
There’s an urgency to “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Great Lakes reporter Dan Egan that reminds us there is still time to protect the fresh lakes and streams in the Adirondark Park. The book chronicles years of pollution, invasive species, and efforts to repair damage that in some cases changed the makeup of the five Great Lakes. And while the Great Lakes face different sets of challenges, you will recognize many of the issues – and some of the invasive species – because we’ve talked about them here. We spoke with Dan Egan >>More
Five things about Dave Fadden
One of Dave Fadden’s mosaic paintings. Photo by Mike Lynch. A painter, he comes from a family of artists. His grandfather did beadwork; his father is a painter; his mother, a wood carver, potter, and bead artist. Both of his brothers are also painters. He hid Darth Vader’s face—and two other Star Wars images—in one of his mosaics. Dave never told a story in front of his grandfather, though he knows he heard him tell one once from another room. He is working with the Wild Center to redesign an exhibit to reflect the Native American philosophy toward the environment, >>More
Dave Fadden’s favorite place: His family’s museum
If you read every card and map and studied each artifact covering nearly every square inch of the Six Nations Indian Museum, it would take you days to complete—at least a day for each of the four rooms (someone did it over two days once, Dave Fadden said). Look up to the ceiling and there’s more: maps, feathers, drums, and artwork. The challenge for the museum is finding a place to add anything more. “We’re grappling with adding on without losing the sense or essence of the place it is,” Fadden said. The museum has two thousand visitors from July >>More
State puts $4 million toward Lake George wastewater treatment plant
The Village of Lake George on Thursday received a $4,273,923 grant from the state to rebuild its wastewater-treatment plant, a $17 million project. The Lake George grant is the largest of the $44 million in grants announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to support 24 essential drinking water- and wastewater-infrastructure projects. The grants are funded through New York’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, as well as the new Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.
