Landscape of Hope | 2020–2021 Reflecting on 2020 and Looking Ahead Dear Members and Friends, One of those problems that people of In 2020, you and our partners all backgrounds and beliefs continue to accomplished a great deal on behalf of Please accept our sincere thanks for work on and care about is the overuse the ecological integrity, wild character, everything you have done to help of and wear and tear on our most and people of the Adirondacks. preserve the Adirondack Park. This is a popular wilderness lands and waters. vast landscape filled with fragile niches Governor Cuomo, the Department Thank You, of solace and refuge. In the face of a of Environmental Conservation and global pandemic, economic challenges, the state Legislature responded by systemic racism, polarizing politics, and recognizing the problem, identifying climate change crises, the Park has recommended changes in management, William C. Janeway become more important than ever. and by providing additional funding. Executive Director The progress addressing these Part of the money to pay for these crises in the past few months has changes will come from the $300 Whitney Industries has listed 36,000 acres been encouraging. That’s because million Environmental Protection in Long Lake for sale. It is now possible to people who love the Adirondacks Fund; which will aid both wilderness permanently protect these lands and waters. The pulled together. Rather than trying preservation and the economy. Adirondack Council looks forward to working with to shut out the rest of the world, the colleagues in the land trust community and state Adirondacks remained a “Landscape Please enjoy this annual review of and local officials to secure the future protection HEILMAN II/WILD VISIONS INC. © CARL PHOTO of Hope” open to all. The Park remains elected and appointed officials’ actions CONTENTS of these lands, listed as priorities in our 2020 a place where people come together affecting the Adirondack Park’s clean VISION research series and in the NYS Open to solve problems and work to make water and clean air, wildlands, and 2 Letter from the Executive Director Space Conservation Plan. the Adirondacks more welcoming and communities over the last 12 months. inclusive – even if we have to socially This is the only comprehensive account William C. Janeway 5 2020 Report Card distance from one another for a while. of the state of the Park and includes a Executive Director 6 The Governor 2020 “report card” and 2021 priorities. @WillieJaneway 8 State Legislature 11 The Courts Board of Directors Ethan Friedman Staff Members Mary Godnick Ongoing Project Attorney General Rush Holt Marketing and Communications Associate Consultants 12 Chair Robert J. Kafin William C. Janeway Julia Goren Michael A. Bettmann, M.D. Lee Keet Executive Director Adirondack VISION Project Director Adirondack VISION Project 13 Tip of the Hat Eric W. Lawson Tom Woodman Vice-Chairs Rocci Aguirre Jerome Page Racey Henderson Sarah C. Hatfield Deputy Director and Director of Conservation Essex Farm Institute Program Director Clean Water Initiative Justin Potter 14 Preserve Whitney! Laurel Skarbinski Jackie Bowen David J. Miller John Reschovsky Jess Kelley p.14 Legal Counsel Treasurer Conservation Associate Development Assistant Brian Ruder Karyn A. Booth, Esq. Local Government Daniel J. Ryterband 16 Kate Russell Elaine Burke Casey Marvell Thompson Hine LLP Secretary Douglas Schultz Director of Operations Policy Fellow Noah Shaw Phil Gitlen, Esq. 18 Dept. of Environmental Conservation Liza Cowan Kevin Chlad Ryan Nerp Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP Douglas Stewart Our Mission Director of Government Relations Seasonal Research Associate Kurt Abrahamson Curtis R. Welling Scott B. Goldie, Esq. Caroline Dodd * 21 Adirondack Park Agency Emily M. Bateson Ethan Winter Deborah J. Pastore Conboy, McKay, Bachman, and Kendall LLP The mission of the Adirondack Council is to ensure the Seasonal Research Associate Mary Bijur Development Director Matthew Melewski, Esq., ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack David E. Bronston Diane Fish Federal Government John F. Sheehan The Boutique Firm 23 Charles D. Canham, Ph.D. Senior Advisor Director of Communications Park for current and future generations. Ann E. Carmel Bernard Melewski, Esq. J. A. Tyler Frakes Georgina Cullman, Ph.D. Charlotte Staats * 25 Other Agencies Membership Director J. Michael Naughton, Esq. Executive and Program Assistant Thomas Curley Young/Sommer Written and Edited by Adirondack Council Staff Philip R. Forlenza Lisa M. Genier 26 Awards Program Analyst * Clarence Petty Intern View online at: AdirondackCouncil.org Copyright 2020 - Adirondack Council 27 2021 Priorities Cover: Lake George from Cat Mountain PHOTO © CARL HEILMAN II/WILD VISIONS INC. 2 ADIRONDACK COUNCIL STATE OF THE PARK 2020–2021 3 2020 ABOUT REPORT THE PARK CARD PHOTO © CARL HEILMAN II/WILD VISIONS INC. The Adirondack Park is the world’s largest intact temperate deciduous forest. It is also the largest park in the contiguous United States. It contains six million acres (9,300 square miles), covers one-fifth of New York State Elected and appointed government leaders made decisions late in 2019 and is equal in size to neighboring Vermont. The Adirondack Park is nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. and in 2020 that affected the legacy of the Adirondacks. Here is a More than half of the Adirondack Park is private land, devoted report on the 2020 State of the Park priorities (issued Sept. 2019). principally to hamlets, forestry, agriculture, and open-space recreation. Nearly 775,000 acres are protected from development by conservation easements Defend the East’s Protect Clean Water and Support Working Forests held by the state or private organizations. The Greatest Wilderness Reduce Road Salt Pollution and Farms Park is home for 130,000 permanent and 200,000 The state provided a total of $1 billion The state recognized the need for but seasonal residents in 120 hamlets and 9 villages. The Governor recognized the problem this year for clean water grants to did not significantly improve incentives, The Park hosts 12.4 million visitors yearly. of overuse. The state dedicated more funding, reassigned a few Forest Rangers, communities; provided a larger grant regulations, funding, or policies to help the Nearly half of the Park is publicly owned and embraced recommendations to better for Lake George; and the Senate and Park’s ecologically sustainable, climate- Forest Preserve, protected as “Forever preserve world-class wildlands, protecting Assembly passed bi-partisan legislation friendly working forests and farms. The state Wild” by the NYS Constitution since visitor safety, natural resources, and the to establish a state task force to address authorized $2.5m for climate-resilient farms, 1894. About 1.1 million acres of these visitor’s opportunity for a wilderness road salt pollution and keep roads safe. again, but none for the Adirondack Park. public lands are protected as Wilderness, experience. A poorly designed amendment where non-mechanized recreation may be to constitutional protections for “Forever Strengthen the Improve Community enjoyed. Most of the public land (more Wild” on Cathead Mt. was set aside. Adirondack Park Agency Communications than 1.4 million acres) is Wild Forest, where motorized uses are permitted on State: Combat Climate The Governor and Senate get credit for The state did not require telecom designated waters, roads and trails. agreeing on a new, improved full slate companies to provide universal Change and Acid Rain of nominees to the APA board, including broadband access in the Park; or Plants and wildlife abound in the Park. Old New York dedicated new funds and new and returning board members improve cell coverage with incentives for growth forests cover more than 100,000 staff for and started to execute the with needed expertise. However, while “substantially invisible” infrastructure in acres of public land. The western and Climate Leadership and Community the Agency can function, it has not communities and on major highways. southern Adirondacks are gentle landscapes Protection Act; fought acid rain in court; indicated that it is stronger and remains of hills, lakes, wetlands, ponds, and streams. In promoted clean energy and closed the underfunded, understaffed, and ill-equipped Expand the northeast are the forty-six High Peaks. Forty- state’s last coal-fired power plant. with outdated conservation tools. Conservation Funding three of them rise above 4,000 feet and 11 have alpine summits that rise above the timberline. Federal: Combat Climate Update Invasive The state authorized expanded funding including a $3-billion “Restore Mother Species Protections The Adirondacks include the headwaters of Change and Acid Rain Nature Bond Act” and a $300 million five major drainage basins. Lake Champlain and The Trump administration policy changes The state extended, but did not strengthen, Environmental Protection Fund together the Hudson, Black, St. Lawrence, and Mohawk Rivers all MAP KEY at the Environmental Protection Agency the law against the transport of invasive protecting pure water, air, wildlife, draw water from the Adirondack Park. Within the Park are rolled back progress combating climate species; advocates have another year to and wildlands, and addressing climate more than 2,800 lakes and ponds, and more than 1,500 miles Public Forest Preserve change and acid rain. The Adirondack persuade state leaders to require that change, overuse and pollution. In an of rivers, fed by an estimated 30,000 miles of brooks and streams. Council and others successfully challenged boats and trailers be decontaminated historic action, Congress fully funded the Private Land some of these changes in court. at state inspection stations prior to Land and Water Conservation Fund. Through public education and advocacy for the protection State Conservation Easement launch in Adirondack waters. of the Park’s ecological integrity and wild character, the Adirondack Council advises public and private policymakers Waterbodies on ways to safeguard this great expanse of open space.