Adirondack Park board OKs rail trail
By Tim Rowland
May 14, 2020
Rail refurbishment for the scenic railroad is expected to be completed by 2021, and the rail trail by 2023.
Tim Rowland
Tim Rowland is a columnist, author and outdoors writer living in Jay.
Essex County pushes back on Tahawus rail conversion
By Tim Rowland
May 5, 2020
“We have enough trails, what we need is economic activity,” said Shaun Gillilland, chair of the Essex County Board of Supervisors.
Virus challenges Adirondacks census
By Tim Rowland
April 21, 2020
Even before the virus made its appearance on American shores, there were concerns about the census as the calendar turned to 2020.
After a decade that reshaped the park, DEC regional director Bob Stegemann retires
By Tim Rowland
March 31, 2020
By Tim Rowland The timing of his tenure as Region 5 director for the Department of Environmental Conservation is not lost on Robert Stegemann. “I came in with Hurricane Irene and I’m going out with the coronavirus,” he said. But in between it was quite a run, a decade that is likely to be noted…
Historic dam in danger
By Tim Rowland
March 24, 2020
This 150-acre lake is a popular venue for anglers, boaters, hikers and birdwatchers. It was created nearly two centuries ago when the industrialists dammed up Putts Creek at the head of a precipitous chasm whose falls from the mountains into the Champlain Valley produced an awesome amount of industrial muscle.
Park Agency presses forward with Tri-Lakes rail trail
By Tim Rowland
March 20, 2020
The line operated until freight service ceased in 1972. It was acquired by the state two years later. A 1996 UMP called for the line to become a scenic railway with adjoining recreation where possible, but that plan was never fully realized.
‘Mother Nature’ bonds proposed at critical time for New York’s climate resilience, backers say
By Tim Rowland
March 10, 2020
The bonds would be part of Cuomo’s five-year, $33 billion plan to prepare for an increasingly unpredictable future. Contrary to massive public works projects that build upon grand piles of bricks and concrete, Restore Mother Nature would play out mainly in the trenches, doing uncelebrated but crucial work such as culvert replacement and restoring forested strips along streams.
Workhorses of sustainability
By Tim Rowland
March 6, 2020
Chad Vogel of Reber Rock Farm makes a living using two chestnut geldings named Stretch and Swede to harvest timber.
DEC regional director retiring
By Tim Rowland
February 25, 2020
He has been the face of the DEC in the Adirondack region, including its efforts to address problems created by throngs of hikers who descend on Keene Valley to access the High Peaks.
Shuttles and restricted parking are no panacea for hiker crowds, environmental planner says
By Tim Rowland
February 25, 2020
Studies of national parks show limited success with commonly touted solutions such as parking limitations, shuttle buses, and other attempts to divert tourists from the destinations they have traveled miles to see.