The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Phil Brown
State Senator Betty Little will no longer represent Hamilton County, one of two counties wholly within the Adirondack Park, under a redistricting plan released today. Little, a Republican, will continue to represent Adirondack communities in Essex, Franklin, Clinton, Warren and Washington counties—all located in the eastern or northern Adirondacks. She also will pick up six…
By Phil Brown
The state Department of Environmental Conservation wants to allow more hunting and/or trapping of bobcats in many parts of the state, including the Adirondacks. In a draft five-year management plan, DEC reports that the state’s bobcat population—now estimated to be five thousand—has been growing, especially in the Southern Tier. Roughly twice the size of housecats,…
By Phil Brown
The Adirondack Park Agency voted 10-1 today to approve the controversial Adirondack Club and Resort, the largest development ever to come before the agency. Several commissioners said they had concerns about the project—including what they described as the developers’ optimistic sales projections—but they concluded that it fell within the APA’s regulations. The commissioners agreed with…
By Phil Brown
After six years of public debate, the Adirondack Park Agency’s staff has written a draft permit for the Adirondack Club and Resort in Tupper Lake, finding that the resort would comply with the law if it meets all the conditions of the permit. The APA board, which is scheduled to vote next Friday, could approve…
By Phil Brown
In his latest Birdwatch column for the Explorer, John Thaxton said we might see an influx of snowy owls this winter. The man is a soothsayer. Snowy owls live in the Canadian tundra, but once in a while they migrate south in great numbers in search of food. This is one of those “irrupution” years.…
By Phil Brown
Wildlife biologist Paul Jensen will give a lecture on “Big Cats of the Adirondacks” at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, January 29. Jensen will talk about the historical distribution of mountain lions, Canada lynx, and bobcats in the Northeast and how these species may be…
As Big Tupper debate enters final weeks, questions linger about wildlife impacts and financing. By Brian Mann The Adirondack Club and Resort project has been scrutinized and debated for seven years, and yet, although the Adirondack Park Agency may vote on the project in January, several important environmental and financial questions remain unanswered. One…
By Phil Brown
A longtime conservationist has been named assistant commissioner for natural resources at the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Kathleen Moser was picked to replace Christopher Amato, who left the post earlier this month after four and a half years on the job. Moser’s new responsibilities include oversight of the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks and…
By Phil Brown
A former International Paper official has been named director of the Region 5 office of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. In his new post, Robert Stegemann will oversee an office that, among other things, manages the eastern two-thirds of the Adirondack Park. He begins on Monday, replacing Betsy Lowe, who resigned last month. “Bob’s…
By Phil Brown
The Adirondack Council wants the state to purchase or otherwise protect a 2,257-acre parcel near Poke-o-Moonshine Mountain that is on the market for $2,275,000. Dubbed Burnt Pond Forest, the tract lies just southwest of Poke-o-Moonshine, bordering state Forest Preserve. It is being marketed by LandVest, a real-estate company that deals in timberlands the Northeast. In…