In the Adirondacks, alpine ecosystems are areas above the treeline that are home to rare and endangered alpine plants more commonly found in arctic regions of North America. Alpine ecosystems cover approximately 173 acres on top of more than a dozen High Peaks, including Marcy, Algonquin and Wright. Alpine vegetation is highly susceptible to human impacts such as trampling and climate change. Ten years ago, the Adirondacks hosted the Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering for the first time. Since then visitor usage has increased in the High Peaks region, where all of the Park’s alpine ecosystems can be found. The Alpine >>More
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
On Climate Strike!
On Friday, the Adirondack Almanack is on a climate strike. 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. It’s our responsibility to do something about it now. Local Climate Strike Locations for Friday, September 20th Saranac Lake – Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main Street, Saranac Lake (Noon) Queensbury – SUNY Adirondack Student Center, 640 Bay Road (Noon) Plattsburgh – Amity Plaza SUNY Plattsburgh, Rugar Street (11 am) Potsdam – SUNY Potsdam Campus at » Continue Reading. View original >>More
Adirondack Fall Foliage Season Events
Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has been tracking the progress of this years fall foliage to help travelers in search of an optimal weekend or mid-week getaway to soak in the Adirondacks’ picturesque autumn locations. Reports are obtained from field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the upcoming weekend. Visitors can experience peak colors between late September to mid-October, depending on the Adirondack destination. Whether driving down a scenic highway or backroad, paddling on a crystal clear lake surrounded by trees decked out in shades of crimson, oranges and yellows; or viewing the fall leaves from atop one of >>More
Climate Strike Event at SUNY ADK Sept 20th
SUNY Adirondack has announced a Climate Hope in Action kick-off event set for Friday, September 20th, to support the global Climate Strike inspired by Greta Thunberg in anticipation of the UN Climate Summit in New York City the following Monday. A variety of entertaining and educational activities for the students and the general public will be delivered at the Student Center between 11 am and 2 pm to raise awareness about the factual nature of climate change and the need for urgent and cohesive action. National Grid has partnered with the non-profit Green Energy Consumers Alliance and Whiteman Chevy to >>More
Changes In Store For Sentinel Range Wilderness
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comment for the Sentinel Range Wilderness Area Unit Management Plan. The APA will accept public comments October 11th, 2019 regarding Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan conformance for the proposed management actions in the wilderness area. The Sentinel Range Wilderness Area (SRWA) is located in the northeast portion of the Adirondack Park in the towns of Jay, Keene, North Elba, and Wilmington in Essex County. The SRWA covers 23,874 acres. The namesake of the unit, the Sentinel Range, is a prominent mountain range in the region. The unit also encompasses exceptional watercourses >>More
$1M Available to NYS Parks and DEC Friends Groups
Applications are now being accepted for the fifth round of competitive grants through the NYS Park and Trail Partnership Grants program, funded through the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. The grants, this year doubled to $1 million, are available to organizations, typically referred to as “Friends groups,” that support parks, trails, historic sites and public lands. The program is designed to: enhance the preservation, stewardship, interpretation, environmental education, maintenance and promotion of New York State parks, trails, historic sites, and public lands; increase the sustainability, effectiveness, productivity, volunteerism and fundraising capabilities of not-for-profit organizations that promote, maintain and support NYS parks, >>More
Trout Stream Management Meetings Planned
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is developing a new plan for inland trout stream management based on updated scientific information and public meetings held across the state in 2017. Prior to completing the draft plan, DEC fisheries managers would like to meet with trout stream anglers to explain the proposed approach, answer questions, and solicit feedback. Ten additional public meetings around the state are scheduled between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12 to facilitate these discussions. The schedule of dates and locations can be found online on DEC’s website. The meetings will feature » Continue Reading. View >>More
A Living, Growing Memorial to Brother Yusuf
I recently went back to an area where the NYS DEC Forest Rangers and Foresters had recruited us to help plant young potted and bare root trees from the DEC’s Saratoga Tree Nursery on an eroding section of Adirondack Forest Preserve. The planting took place seven growing seasons ago. How were they doing today? Among the tree planters were Brother Yusuf Abdul-Wasi (Joseph Burgess) and his team of youth and adult counselors and teachers from the Green Tech Charter School in Albany and Youth Ed-Venture and Nature Network or YENN, and several volunteers from Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest >>More
Joe Mahay, An Adirondack Park Activist, 1946-2019
Longtime grassroots Adirondack Park environmental activist Joe Mahay died in early August at home with his family. Joe and his wife Naomi Tannen had been living in Florence, Massachusetts, where for the past year and a half Joe had dealt with metastatic cancer and chemotherapy. Joe was one of the founders of the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks and twice served as its Chair, tactfully leading the organization through its formative years and a raucous debate over the future of the Adirondack Park in the 1990s and early 2000s. Joe had a long career as an administrator at a >>More
APA Board Meeting: Primitive Campsites, Logging, Subdivision
The Adirondack Park Agency will hold its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Ray Brook on Thursday, September 14th and Friday September 15th, 2019. Both sessions will convene at 9 am. The meeting will include consideration of an amendment to a timber harvesting project in Westport, a review of public comments on the replacement of utility poles, consideration of amendments to the Town of Chester Local Land Use plan, a presentation on the final Sentinel Range Wilderness Unit Management Plan, rules for constructing and siting primitive campsites and more. What follows is the APA’s meeting agenda: On Thursday at 9 >>More
