The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Phil Brown edited the Adirondack Explorer from 1999 until his retirement in 2018. He continues to explore the park and to write for the publication and website.
By Phil Brown
July 10, 2018
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has compiled 132 pages of public comments and responses regarding its proposals in the High Peaks Wilderness and Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. The Adirondack Park Agency is expected to vote on whether to approve DEC’s proposals this Friday. About ten pages of comments and responses pertain to concerns raised by…
By Phil Brown
July 10, 2018
Bobby O’Connor, an outdoor recreation professor at Paul Smith’s College, sends Makaia’s Problem (rated V1) at the McKenzie Pond Boulders outside Saranac Lake. He makes it look easy. Click here for our review of Adirondack Park Bouldering.
By Phil Brown
July 9, 2018
Protect the Adirondacks wants motorboats banned from Weller Pond and Little Weller Pond near Middle Saranac Lake. If you agree, you have until Friday to submit comments to the Adirondack Park Agency. In a draft unit management plan (UMP) for the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, the state Department of Environmental Conservation did not ban motorboats from the two ponds, but it is proposing to impose a 5-mph speed limit.
By Phil Brown
July 6, 2018
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has finalized its proposed changes to the High Peaks Wilderness and Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest unit management plans, and the Adirondack Park Agency is expected vote on them next week.
By Phil Brown
July 2, 2018
A.G. UNDERWOOD ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH CAMPGROUND COMPANIES OVER DECEPTIVE PRACTICES Investigation Revealed Adirondack Area Campground Companies Sold Memberships Promising Free Giveaways, Services, and Amenities That Never Materialized – Then Ignored Consumers’ Cancellation Requests Consumers to Receive Over $40,000 to Consumers, Businesses Will End Deceptive Business Practices AG Underwood Urges Affected New Yorkers to File Complaint…
By Phil Brown
June 28, 2018
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed dozens of new trails, parking areas, canoe launches, campsites, and other facilities in the High Peaks Wilderness—some of them controversial. The APA is expected to vote on the proposals this summer, perhaps as early as July.
By Phil Brown
June 27, 2018
State environmental conservation officers ticketed a resident of Watson, on the western edge of the Adirondack Park, for shooting and killing a bear that had climbed into a tree in his yard. In another recent incident, ECOs captured an orphan bear cub whose mother had been killed by a car. Following is the latest ECO…
By Phil Brown
June 27, 2018
The Open Space Institute has acquired more than four thousand acres in the southeastern Adirondacks in a deal that will help protect the watershed for the city of Amsterdam. Known as the Hans Creek property, the parcel contains land within the watershed of Amsterdam’s Steele and Ireland Vly reservoirs, including frontage on the Steele Reservoir.…
By Phil Brown
June 21, 2018
The state Department of Environmental Conservation plans to close Gulf Brook Road, the dirt thoroughfare leading to Boreas Ponds, on weekdays so it can repair the road, which was damaged by deep frost and melting snow this past winter. The closure means people will have to hike or bike about seven miles to reach the…
By Phil Brown
June 19, 2018
Saranac Lake native Lisa Ballard has won a national award for a story about hiking with her brother that appeared in the Adirondack Explorer. Her article, titled “On Crane with Wayne,” won second place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America for stories in the Outdoor Fun and Adventure category. The award was announced at…