Photos of the Rome Dam in May 2017 on a rainy day. The dam is currently being removed because it was found to be structurally unsound in an engineering study. The removal started in August and is expected to be completed by mid-November.
Logging operations on the Santa Clara Tract (photo gallery)
In early August, staff writer Mike Virtanen and I visited the Santa Clara Tract with the Molpus Woodlands Group. The visit was part of the research Mike was doing for an in-depth story about Adirondack conservation easements for the September issue of the Explorer. Below are links to those articles.
Photos of DEC moose rescue near Plattsburgh
Wildlife officers successfully relocated a moose near Plattsburgh that had become trapped in an enclosed pasture with several donkeys and a barn on August 1. State Department of Environmental staffers drugged the moose to immobilize it while environmental conservation officers provided traffic control, site security, and assisted in lifting the moose from the field into a motor vehicle. The moose was then taken to a remote area of the Adirondacks and was last seen entering the woods in good health, according to the DEC.
Photo gallery of John Van Alstine’s sculptures (with video)
Sculptor John Van Alstine talks about the interaction of human-made and natural objects. Van Alstine is based in Wells. His work has been widely exhibited in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
State announces initiatives to address overuse
The state announced several initiatives today to address issues related to overuse in the High Peaks. The High Peaks, Dix, Giant and Hurricane Wildernesses, Baxter Mountain, and the Saranac Lake 6’er peaks are attracting an unprecedented number of users, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The increase in hikers, climbers and campers has resulted in dangerous driving conditions along the state Route 73 corridor from Chapel Pond to Cascade Mountain during peak days in the summer and fall. That’s because parking lots overflow and people park alongside the state highway. In addition, trails have become eroded, garbage has >>More
Rerouting the Wright Peak Ski Trail
The Wright Peak Ski Trail is one of the top backcountry-skiing trails in the Adirondacks, but skiers often complain that it dumps them out onto a narrow and often-rocky hiking trail that leads to Algonquin Peak. The state Department of Environmental Conservation proposes to fix the problem by rerouting the bottom of the ski trail so that it terminates at the Whales Tail Ski Trail. It is one of several skiing proposals in a draft amendment to the High Peaks Wilderness unit management plan (UMP). Ron Konowitz, founder of the Adirondack Powder Ski Association, said he was ecstatic over the >>More
Crews clean up contaminated soil at Lake Flower Superfund site
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is currently removing contaminated sediment from Lake Flower in Saranac Lake. The sediment is located in Pontiac Bay and is contaminated with coal tar, coke, and ash from a gas plant in the village. Other pollutants include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. Starting in the late 1800s, the Saranac Lake Gas Company used a coal-gasification process to manufacture gas for lighting. The site of the plant on Payeville Road is also contaminated. It is a now vacant lot. The plant also contaminated Brandy Brook, which carried pollutants to Pontiac >>More
Photos from Upper Works Road in Newcomb
The Upper Works Road in Newcomb is one of the most interesting roads in the Adirondacks. It is the southern entrance for many of the High Peaks, historic buildings from the former mining village of Tahawus are located alongside it, and the scenic Hudson River can be found nearby. I visited the area in late May, and the above photo gallery contains images from the visit. Read More Explorer gets a bird’s-eye view of High Peaks
Wildlife Conservation Society to end Adirondack program
Wildlife Conservation Society has decided to close its Adirondack program after more than two decades. “I think the best way I can describe it is we are all kind of sad,” said Zoe Smith, WCS’s Director of Programs for the Adirondacks. “What we built for so many years is changing. There is some optimism the work will be continuing.” Smith, Director of Science Michale Glennon, and Office manager Carrianne Pershy will lose their jobs as of Sept. 30, Smith said. Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator Heidi Kretser will continue working on national and international projects. Established in 1994, the Adirondack program >>More
Mirror Lake continues to have dissolved oxygen issues
Mirror Lake didn’t experience its natural spring turnover for the second consecutive year due to its high concentration of road salt, according to the Ausable River Association. Spring turnover occurs when top and bottom water levels mix after ice out. The mixing causes a distribution of nutrients and oxygen throughout the water column. This turnover generally occurs in both the spring and fall when water temperatures become more uniform throughout the lake. The lake then settles into layers during the summer months. “We’re not re-oxygening at the beginning of the spring when the lake would take a big deep breath >>More
