For Immediate Release
February 24, 2021
Contact: David Gibson, 518-469-4081
Chad Dawson Joins Adirondack Wild’s Board
Dr. Chad P. Dawson, formerly a member of the NYS Adirondack Park Agency from 2016 until December 2020, has been elected to Adirondack Wild’s Board of Directors. Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve is a not-for-profit membership organization which acts on behalf of public wilderness and embraces wild land values and stewardship on both public and private lands.
“Chad’s passions, skills and experiences fit our organization perfectly,” said David Gibson, managing partner with Adirondack Wild. His deep understanding of wilderness management and of those seeking to recreate there will help to guide our wild land advocacy and inform not just Adirondack Wild but the entire community of Forest Preserve advocates.”
“Given the pressures of more and more hikers and paddlers on our ‘forever wild’ Forest Preserve, we greatly benefit from Chad’s expertise with the tools and strategies for wilderness management. Without careful planning and management of our recreational impulses and desires wild lands are degraded, so our community of advocates has much to gain from his involvement,” added Rick Hoffman, a member of the Adirondack Wild’s board.
Dr. Chad Dawson said: “The Forest Preserve has been of interest to me for most of my career in teaching and research, later in policy making with the Adirondack Park Agency’s board, and now in advocacy for management of the resources and visitor experiences.”
“It is with great enthusiasm that I join the Adirondack environmental advocacy community and its long history of state and national leadership in protecting wild places. Planning and management of the Forest Preserve within the Adirondack and Catskills Parks will be my focus as a member of Adirondack Wild.”
Dr. Dawson is a Professor Emeritus of Recreation Resources Management and former Chair of the faculty of Forest and Natural Resources Management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forest in Syracuse, NY. He worked in teaching and research related to the visitor management and wilderness management at SUNY-ESF from 1989 to 2011. Previously, he worked 15 years as an educator and researcher at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota.
He served as an appointed Board member for over four years with the Adirondack Park Agency (July 2016-Dec. 2020). Dr. Dawson is the former Managing Editor of the International Journal of Wilderness. He is co-author of two textbooks with John Hendee: Wilderness Management: Stewardship and Protection of Resources and Values (2009; 4th edition), Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO; and Introduction to Forests and Renewable Resources (2020; 9th edition), Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL.
Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve is a not-for-profit, membership organization which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. It is led by two full-time staff, a board of nine and an advisory council. The organization has 900 active supporters. Adirondack Wild acts on behalf of wilderness and embraces wild land values and land stewardship. More can be found online at www.adirondackwild.org.