The Explorer brings in-depth reporting to underreported issues

The nonprofit Adirondack Explorer is digging into stories important to you, readers who care about the protection of the Adirondack Park. Our reporters and photographers provide all sides of news and issues while also strongly encouraging wise use of these lands and water.

Because of our dedication to excellent reporting, the national campaign for nonprofit news, NewsMatch, has awarded the Explorer a matching dollar-for-dollar grant up to $25,000 for donations given between now and December 31, 2018. In addition, an Explorer board member and the Cloudsplitter Foundation each have offered to match an additional $25,000. The total, when successfully doubled, will be a game-changing $100,000.

This year, the Explorer looked into a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2013 to allow NYCO Minerals to dig in Adirondack Forest Preserve lands, which at the time held the promise of additional jobs in the Adirondacks. But no jobs ever materialized because the mine was sold. This raises the question of whether the land swap should occur.

The Explorer’s watchdog reporter, based in Albany, took a deep look at conservation easements revealing that while New York has invested tens of millions of dollars in conservation deals over the decades, there’s limited public accounting of all that goes on in these woods. The coverage scrutinized the amount of logging happening on these lands and included a list of all the private landowners holding conservation easements in the Park.

And The Explorer’s coverage of the overcrowding of the High Peaks initiated serious discussion of how best to deal with the region’s surging popularity. We continue to stay ahead of the issue with articles about patch programs that entice hikers to other areas of the park, as well as viewpoints about parking and permit systems to combat the problem and a recent related story about the pressing need to beef up the park’s depleted ranger force.

Compelling journalism is an essential tool in informing action and lasting protection of the Adirondack Park. It’s what we do at the Adirondack Explorer.

As a nonprofit newsroom, we prioritize truth over profits. Your support today will go a long way toward keeping this important work going. Adirondackexplorer.org/give