The Adirondack Land Trust has hired two conservation professionals to fill the new positions of philanthropy assistant and land protection manager. Kathy Woughter is expected to play a role in building support for the Adirondack Land Trust’s mission and work to connect people to conservation work, with a focus on young and diverse constituents. Before moving to the Adirondacks this year, Woughter worked in higher education in Western New York, most recently as Vice President of Student Affairs at Alfred University. Woughter has won awards as an ally for diversity and cultural unity. Her husband Bob is the principal of >>More
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
Study Finds Gender Bias in Bird Conservation Plans
After pairing up and raising chicks, males and females of some bird species spend their winter break apart. At the end of their journey to Central or South America, you might find mostly males in one habitat, and females in another. Yet conservation strategies have typically overlooked the habitats needed by females, putting already-declining species in even more peril, according to a new study in the journal Biological Conservation. “Among the small songbird species that have been studied, the general rule seems to be that females occupy lower elevation, shrubbier, drier sites,” says lead author Ruth » Continue Reading. View >>More
APA To Consider Sentinel Range Wilderness, Blue Mtn Wild Forest Changes
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Ray Brook this Thursday, November 14, 2019. The Board will consider if proposed changes for the Sentinel Range Wilderness Area Unit Management Plan, and the Blue Mountain Wild Forest Unit Management Plan conform to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. What follows is a meeting agenda provided by the APA: On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., the Full Agency will convene for Executive Director Terry Martino’s monthly report. At 9:30 a.m., the Regulatory Programs Committee will be briefed by agency staff on large-scale residential subdivision permits >>More
State Forest Preserve Use Plans Ignore Climate Change
Noah Shaw, former general counsel for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), contributed to the drafting of New York State’s groundbreaking 2019 climate legislation. This September, he wrote an op-ed in the Adirondack Explorer, “What New York’s Bold Climate Law Means for the Adirondacks.” The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 “outlines a so-called ‘carbon offset’ program as a counter-weight to the 15 percent of emissions that may remain after all our other emissions-reducing actions are taken,” he wrote. “These will likely come from hard-to-clean-up activities like aviation, agriculture, shipping and heavy industry. New >>More
Exploring Adirondack Climate Change Impacts
On the whole, processes that contribute to the accelerated climate change we are currently experiencing are a threat to the Adirondack Park, our national security, and the world’s human security. Here are a few stories about the impacts » Continue Reading. View original post.
High Peaks Public Use Planning Announced, Advisory Group Named
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced a new strategic planning initiative, with a goal of sustainably managing public use in the Adirondack High Peaks. The High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group, comprised of what a DEC press announcement called “key stakeholders with expertise in local government, recreation, natural resource protection, business, tourism, and other priority areas” are expected to collaboratively provide advice on how to balance issues associated with the increased public use of the High Peaks, “DEC and our partners are working hard to address impacts associated with increased use of the >>More
Local Group Awarded Multi-Year Invasives Contract
The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) will continue its efforts to protect the region from invasive species — one of the greatest environmental threats facing the Adirondacks — under a new, multi-year contract with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The 4 ½-year contract provides resources to curtail the spread of invasive plants, animals and insects, as pressure increases from less protected areas outside the Adirondack Park. APIPP is expected to hire more workers, deploy camera-equipped drones, and conduct on-the-ground assessments of thousands of acres of lakes » >>More
Lake George Jefferson Project Issues Report
The Jefferson Project at Lake George has published its latest Annual Report, declaring that its environmental data gathering and analytics have made Lake George “The Smartest Lake in the World.” The report says the Jefferson Project has now deployed more than 500 Smart Sensors in and around the lake to monitor physical, chemical and biological conditions that signal emerging threats and help track the progress of lake protection initiatives. Monitoring data from the sensors are combined with data from chemistry and food web surveys of the lake and surrounding streams, as well as experiments focusing » Continue Reading. View original >>More
Dealing with the Environmental Effects of Flooding
Heavy rain has led to historic flooding in parts of the Adirondacks. Waters are receding, but the clean up and repairs will continue for some time as Adirondackers return to flooded homes and camps. Some will return to flooded outbuildings, destroyed docks and shoreline changes. Building owners with flooded basements should check for sheens or odors from gasoline, oil or substances that may have leaked from fuel oil storage tanks, furnaces or motorized equipment before pumping out water. If a sheen or odor is present, contact the DEC Spills Hotline at 1-800-457-7362. They can work with building owners to determine >>More
Adirondack Flooding: An Update And Primer
Heavy rain has led to historic flooding in parts of the Adirondacks. Lakes and ponds are brimming and rivers and streams swollen with cold and fast water. The most affected areas include Hamilton, Herkimer, Warren and Essex counties, including the western slopes of the Champlain and Lake George Valleys. At least one person lost their life driving into a flooded roadway and flooding continues to occur in some lowland areas, including along the Schroon River. State Roads are closed in several places, and numerous secondary roads remain closed. Some buildings and other structures have been destroyed, and many more are >>More
