The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
From Asian clams to Eurasian watermilfoil, from zebra mussels to water chestnut, invaders threaten Adirondack waterways. Aquatic invasives can foul boats, clog water systems, and choke once-clear waters, spoiling both the natural character and recreational opportunities of the Park’s lakes. If we are to defend the wild waters that are at the heart of the…
Here I sit in Iowa, too busy to make my annual pilgrimage to Saranac Lake. I have vacationed in the Adirondacks almost every summer since 1931, and now I have to take solace in that thought of a recent letter writer, Gary Randorf: “I need to know they are there.” There are so many treasured…
I thoroughly enjoyed and “huzzah!’d” several articles and opinion pieces in the March/April Explorer, but none more so than Phillip Terrie’s insightful (and prophetic) Viewpoint on the cumulative impact of development, which is the Achilles’ heel of the Adirondack Park Agency, and the sound, humane argument against the trapping and hunting of one of our…
Thanks for the essay by Neil Woodworth, “Natural Not Always the Best” [January/February 2012], arguing that synthetic materials can be best for backcountry construction. It is right on target. In these days of shrinking budgets, it makes zero sense to build structures like bridges and privies out of stuff that is going to quickly rot.…
It has been a very sad time for the Adirondack Park as personal interest and money have won out to the detriment of the many. The 6,200-acre Adirondack Club and Resort just recently approved by the Adirondack Park Agency, I believe, will prove to be the most massive, destructive boondoggle in the history of the…
The article on Adirondack Park Agency approval of plans for the Adirondack Club and Resort [“Green Light for Resort,” March/April 2012] pointed out a glaring problem for business ventures in the Adirondack Park: business plans must be scrutinized by an unbelievable number of agencies and advocacy groups. A short list of those groups taken from…
Many years ago, state Senator Ron Stafford was asked what his position was on an Environmental Conservation measure. He replied, “Some of my friends are in favor, and some are opposed. I’m for my friends.” Some of my friends are for the Adirondack Club and Resort project in Tupper Lake, and some are opposed. I’m…
By Phil Brown
This summer W.W. Norton plans to publish Classic Hikes of North America: 25 Breathtaking Treks in the United States and Canada. Judging by the publicity materials, it should be a magnificent-looking book, with detailed maps and more than two hundred color photos. Adirondack hikers may be disappointed to learn that no hikes in the Park…
By Tom Woodman Think back on a favorite excursion in the Adirondack wilderness, and if you were lucky a forest ranger played a cameo role. Maybe you encountered him on the trail and he filled you in on the conditions farther on. Or maybe she was advising hikers at a busy trailhead on the right…
Getting your tween and teenage daughters out for a hike isn’t easy, especially when they’ve just started a new school year and are already running cross-country. By Winnie Yu.