For Immediate Release
September 3, 2026

Contact: David Gibson, 518-469-4081
[email protected]

Adirondack Wild Announces 2026 Awards

Tupper Lake, NY – The nonprofit advocate Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve will present awards during the organization’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at The Wild Center, Tupper Lake.
Adirondack Wild invites the public to share our work for the protection and stewardship of wild lands of the Adirondack Park through advocacy and education. Adirondack Wild’s 2026 Annual Meeting begins at 11 AM on 10/24 at The Wild Center, Tupper Lake, NY, highlighted by our 2026 Awards Program.

  • Wild Stewardship Awards: Adirondack Wild joins in celebration of The Wild Center’s 20th anniversary by presenting its Wild Stewardship Awards to The Wild Center’s Founder Betsy Lowe and The Wild Center’s Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe. Please join to celebrate and thank these leaders for all they have done to open imaginative minds and hearts around the world to the natural history of the Adirondacks.
  • Champions of the Forest Preserve: This year’s Champions of the Forest Preserve go to two accomplished attorneys who over the course of many years have helped to uphold constitutional protection of the Forest Preserve. Phil Gitlen, Senior Attorney with Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna, and Todd Ommen, Managing Attorney with the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, are this year’s Champions of the Forest Preserve.
  • Paul Schaefer Wilderness Awards: Adirondack Wild’s highest honor will be presented to former NYS DEC Commissioner Joe Martens and Adirondack Land Trust Executive Director Mike Carr for all they have done for Adirondack land and water conservation. Please help us celebrate these remarkable Adirondack conservation leaders.

The event runs from 11 AM – 3:30 PM and is free of charge. Following lunch, the meeting will feature The Wild Adirondacks: An Enchanted Landscape, a new Wild Center film featuring the photography of award-winning photographer Carl Heilman. Award presentations will follow at 2 PM.

The public is warmly invited. A meeting agenda and registration information can be found at adirondackwild.org/events.

Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve is a not for profit, membership organization devoted to the protection and stewardship of wilderness and other wild lands through advocacy and education. The organization protects wild lands from threats, holds officials accountable and proposes policy reforms. More on the web at adirondackwild.org.