Climate change threatens to change life in the Adirondacks by melting snow on the peaks, and by dumping toxic algae, invasive species and dangerous floods inside the blue line.
It also portends a longer growing season, possibly assisting local food growers.
North Country Climate Reality plans to help Adirondack Park residents and local officials envision ways of adapting with a one-day conference in Silver Bay on Lake George next month. The event builds on the organization’s annual regional meetings but will focus solely on issues affecting the Adirondacks.
“People who live here chose to do so because of the beauty that these mountains afford,” and they built communities based on natural amenities, said conference co-chair Stephen Danna, dean of the State University of New York Plattsburgh at Queensbury.
“Climate change is disrupting that. It means that we need to be prepared and adapt.”
Danna will talk about carbon “drawdown,” or life and community changes that may help reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
Others will discuss preparations for disasters such as the floods that followed Hurricane Irene in 2011; algal blooms on Lake George, which are linked both to nutrients and warmth; the spread of tick-borne illnesses; the effects of a shortening snow season on tourism; and more.
The Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions’ executive director, Michael Hoffmann, will deliver the keynote address.
The all-day Oct. 27 conference, at the Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center, will include an update from the ADK Futures sustainability scenario that more than 500 people helped the ADK Common Ground Alliance create six year ago.
Registration is $90, $50 for students and seniors, or $125 for donors wishing to support reduced-rate scholarships for others. The event includes three meals and a dance for those wishing to stay after dinner. More information, including online registration, is available at https://northcountryclimate.org/conferences/fall-conference-2018/.
Danna can be reached at 518-792-5425.
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