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The moose population that we are supposed to see expanding will be harassed by the new snowmobile trails and will want to find new territories. Unfortunately they don’t realize there is no place to go and will be killed crossing the roads and cause car wrecks. Moose have been known to attack snow machines and riders. The state, which is promoting…
New York State’s announcement that it will review the management plan for an underused rail line through the Adirondacks is very welcome. It’s a key step toward establishing a rail-to-trail recreation way that would be a major draw for visitors to the Adirondacks. In announcing the review, though, the state indicated a preference for a half measure that would fall short of the…
Hopefully I am not too late to the party to contribute my two cents. I just read about the Adirondack Park Agency approving test drilling by the mining company NYCO in Lot 8 (Jay Mountain Wilderness) in the Adirondack Explorer [July/August 2014]. I thought I was voting for a land swap to take place between NYCO and the state. Had…
You show great photos of rock climbing [“Climbing the classics,” July/August 2014], but why is Phil Brown the only one wearing a helmet? I thought they were a basic precaution. I am an Adirondack guide and we are trained that safety is number one at all times. Bob Godlewski, Rotterdam
After reading “A Pitch for Wilderness” it appears that the map showing a section of Northville-Lake Placid Trail in a West Stony Creek Wilderness is misleading. This trail would be an alternative for Northville-Placid hikers who now have to walk along a public road. Two friends and I drove up Mountain Road and onto a side road, passing the point…
I believe canoes and kayaks are the latest threat to our wild lands, and I am strongly opposed to permitting them in Wilderness Areas. Canoes and kayaks give people a huge mechanical advantage. They shrink wild lands. They can transport more people farther, creating intrusions in even the most remote areas. In many cases, the…
Regarding your article, “Trains carry oil and risk,” [May/June 2014]: Out of one side of protectionists’/preventionists’ mouths we hear: “Oh, we must break our dependence on foreign oil.” “Oh, we must learn to use more renewable energy recources…”, “Oh, etc., etc., etc.” On the other side we hear that we cannot transport oil by pipeline,…
I must take umbrage with your article “Keeping track of cougars” [March/April, 2014]. In it Rainer Brocke is quoted as saying the Adirondacks are a “pipsqueak park” with too few deer and too many roads for cougars to survive. The Champlain Valley is alive with deer. Just take a drive around the back roads and…
In your May/June issue, a letter from Ken Kaufmann of Skaneateles has provided what I believe to be the correct solution to the entire debate over an Adirondack rail trail between Lake Placid and Old Forge. Just convert the unused portion between Saranac Lake and Old Forge into a trail for now and everyone gets…
I am not in favor of the rail-trail idea that you keep hyping in your magazine. The railroad route is historic and is currently providing recreation and access from both ends for lots of folks that might otherwise not have an Adirondack experience. We should be encouraging motorless travel in the backcountry, not catering to…