We have a long way to go in the North Country and across New York toward reaching our state’s ambitious clean-energy and climate-protection goals. It’s going to take all hands on deck, and, it turns out, there’s potential for the Adirondack Park to play a significant role.
Already, there’s a growing push for both solar and hydropower at the community scale in these mountains, and it appears that a new generation of small windmills, developed at Clarkson University, is ready to debut in the park. These developments join a much larger endeavor — carbon sequestration through forest management — in aiding New York’s quest for a low-carbon future. If you haven’t already, you can read about these in a story that policy reporter Gwendolyn Craig wrote for us over the summer.
There’s also action toward addressing the carbon footprints of Adirondack Park communities, as demonstrated by Saranac Lake’s recent designation as a “Climate Smart Community.” That certification followed an effort that included cataloging all of the local government’s emissions. Next comes the task of planning to reduce that pollution.
If these are topics that interest you, you might consider joining us for an online discussion hosted by Craig later this month. She’ll be talking about the future with a panel of Adirondack power producers and experts for an hour on the morning of Oct. 20. It’s free, but we ask you to sign up here.
While I’m discussing things to watch for online, web editor Melissa Hart is hoping to crowdsource some experiences and images from the upcoming Columbus Day weekend. If you’re in the area, please consider helping out. Here’s what Melissa says, and where to reach her:
Calling all hikers: We’re curious to know how this weekend is going to go, as it’s usually a busy one even in a “normal year.” Since we’re not able to be everywhere at once, hoping you can help! Send us your pics from the trails to melissa@adirondackexplorer.org.
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