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By Kenneth Aaron The first time Dave Cilley encountered the no-trespassing cable across Shingle Shanty Brook, it was in the late 1970s or 1980s, shortly after the state purchased land around Lake Lila and he was exploring the area. He turned back, and it’s been forbidden fruit for him ever since. Until this year,…
Canoeists explore stretch of upper Hudson recently acquired by state. By Phil Brown Some say the upper Hudson River below Newcomb has always been open for paddling, and they’re right—assuming you’re capable of shooting class IV rapids in the Hudson Gorge. For the rest of us, this part of the Hudson opened this spring. In…
Two paddlers explore one of the Adirondacks’ largest motor-free lakes, discovering tranquility, beautiful scenery, and a few loons.
Judge rules that ‘Explorer’ editor did not trespass when he paddled through private property, but the landowners plan to appeal. By Kenneth Aaron The owners of a scenic, remote Adirondack waterway plan to appeal a judge’s decision declaring that the route is open to paddlers under the common-law public right of navigation. In February, State…
Agency says the public has the right to travel on a disputed stretch of Shingle Shanty Brook. By Phil Brown Weighing in on a long-running controversy, the state Department of Environmental Conservation says the public has the right to paddle through private land on Shingle Shanty Brook and adjoining waterways that connect two pieces of…
By Phil Brown
After State Supreme Court Justice Richard Aulisi handed down his decision on navigation rights a few weeks ago, several media outlets wrote about the case. As the defendant in the lawsuit, I tracked the news coverage closely. Given the public interest in the case, I thought I’d share the articles that I found. The news…
Lawyers deliver arguments in trespassing lawsuit filed against Adirondack Explorer editor. By Kenneth Aaron Was Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown trespassing in 2009 when he paddled through private land abutting state-owned wilderness? Or did he have a right to be there because the waters he canoed are navigable and provide a useful link between parcels…
Judge to hear arguments in November in dispute over public’s right to paddle on privately owned waterway. By Kenneth Aaron The landowners suing Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown for trespass say he’s just the latest in a long line of people who have tried to pry open closed waters for public use, and if he…
State attorney general asks judge to dismiss claims against Explorer editor in navigation-rights dispute. By Kenneth Aaron More than three years after Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown paddled through private land on Shingle Shanty Brook and almost two years after he was slapped with a lawsuit accusing him of trespass, the parties in…
Starting in the village of Saranac Lake, a family paddles up the island-studded Lower Saranac Lake and the Saranac River to Middle Saranac Lake and on to Weller Pond. They picked a trek that would be child-friendly and convenient—that is, no carries.