The price we all must pay for the Adirondack Park The price we all must pay for the Adirondack Park In the aftermath of the 30th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, David Gibson reflects on what more the state could do for the region Having returned from the 30th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, hosted…
Memo of Opposition, UTV legislation Senate 7298/A. 7439 This legislation to expand the all-terrain vehicle legal registration limit from 1000 pounds to 2000 pounds and up to 80 inches in width is intended to authorize, for the first time, widespread use of utility task vehicles (UTV) and Side by Sides. The stated purpose is to…
Thoreau, wilderness and our community of life A section from Ed Zahniser’s 2004 lecture explores the impact of Thoreau and the wilderness on communities “Henry David Thoreau” aired on PBS. This renewed focus, courtesy of Ken Burns films, on Thoreau’s life reminded me of a presentation by Ed Zahniser entitled “Wilderness and Our Community of…
COMMENTARY: DEC mobility device policy for state lands requires immediate oversight In a letter, the nonprofit wilderness advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve is asking the Adirondack Park Agency’s State Land Committee to immediately review and comment on the new Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) policy draft affecting the state’s wilderness areas and…
For Immediate ReleaseMarch 18, 2026 Contact: David Gibson, [email protected] DEC Mobility Device Policy for State Lands Requires Oversight, Comments from the Adirondack Park Agency Ray Brook, NY – The nonprofit wilderness advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve is asking the Adirondack Park Agency’s State Land Committee this week to review and comment on…
Coming of age in the Adirondacks Paul Schaefer grew to become a highly influential Adirondack wilderness conservationist. This chapter of “A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions” reveals a truth: Family units often discover the healing and teaching properties of Adirondack landscapes and Adirondack people together. In the case of the Schaefer family, Adirondack…
The Legacy of Paul Schaefer Events A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions (2025 by Syracuse University Press), my biography of Friends of the Forest Preserve founder Paul Schaefer will be featured at three events during the month of April 2026. 30th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks Wednesday, April 15th and Thursday, April 16th,…
Feb 25, 2026Josh Clague NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)Division of Lands and Forests 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, NY 12233-4254Re. NYS DEC Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMD) Policy NYS DEC Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMD) Policy Dear Josh and DEC:In 2024, APA and DEC proposed weakening State Land Master Plan/ Forest Preserve Wilderness protections…
By David Gibson Adirondack Fragmentation and the Illusion of Green At its January meeting, Adirondack Park Agency (APA) staff recommended approval of a seven-lot residential subdivision in a Rural Use zone off Route 73 in Keene, NY (the Aylward project). Staff noted that after several years of work with the applicant the subdivision had been…