ADK Review Board News
- TRAIN OBSESSION HAMPERS PROGRESS – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Writer Dick Beamish writes that Garry Douglas’s obsession with trains is preventing the region from getting a recreational trail.
- WASHINGTON COUNTY OFFICIALS PUSH BACK AGAINST PROPOSED CLEAN WATER ACT CHANGES – Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jon Alexander reports that a proposed change in the Clean Water Act would remove the term “navigable” from the regulation, essentially expanding federal jurisdiction to include any water body that holds water for more than four hours a year that feeds into another, officials said.
- CUOMO APPROVES LOW-COST POWER CONTRACT TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH – Watertown Daily Times ( Watertown, NY) Website
A staff report notes that Gov. Cuomo has approved a measure to allow the Massena Electric Department to sell up to 20 megawats of hydropower as a tool to spur economic growth.
- 2 COURTS CITE A VAGUE RULE IN REJECTING STATE LAWS – The New York Times ( New York, NY) Website
Reporter Russ Buettner reports that for the second time in a month, home rule was cited in rejecting a state law. The decisions, which are both expected to face review by appellate courts, cast a light on the home rule provision, an often misunderstood concept under which the state grants limited autonomy to local municipalities.
- THE NEW STATE LANDS: TOURISM AND DESTINATION PLANNING – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
Writer Kimberly Rielly, director of communications for the Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau, writes that from a tourism standpoint, public access to an additional 69,000 acres of our most attractive and popular product is a really good thing.
- LAND DEALS ALSO HAVE A DOWNSIDE (Letter) – Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Letter writer Donald Wharton writes that the press releases praising the state’s most recent land purchase didn’t mention the productive timberlands now cut off from being used or the lost jobs.
- ADIRONDACK FUTURES: THE PARK?S NEXT 25 YEARS – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
Writers Dave Mason and Jim Herman, leaders of the ADK Futures Project, writes that not only is the sustainable life the one most sought in the Adirondacks, but also the region is already moving in that direction.
- HOW TO STOP POLLUTION, LEGALLY (Editorial) – Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
The Times Union editorial board writes that the way to save the northern forests from acid rain and other "ecological calamities" is for the Environmental Protection Agency to "carefully rewrite the rules for the state-by-state release of pollutants into what is, of course, a single atmosphere."
- MOST STATE GRANTS STAY ON ?RIGHT TRACK,? DEVELOPMENT GROUP SAYS – Watertown Daily Times ( Watertown, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Amaral reports that the North Country Regional Economic Development Council co-chairmen say that all but two of the 60 projects being funded are "on the right track."
- JOHNSBURG SAYS NO TO ATVS ON ROADS – The Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jamie Munks reported that the Johnsburg Town Board shut down on Tuesday a proposed local law that would have allowed ATV riders to petition for access to segments of town roads as a connection between trails. After a lengthy public hearing with impassioned pleas from people on both sides of the issue, the board voted 4-1 against the proposal, with Councilman Peter Olesheski, who put forward the legislation, the only one voting in favor of it.
- COURT BLOCKS E.P.A. RULE ON CROSS-STATE POLLUTION – The New York Times ( New York, NY) Website
Reporter Matthew Wald reports that a federal appeals court overturned a federal rule that laid out how much air pollution states would have to clean up to avoid incurring violations in downwind states.
- ECONOMIC COUNCIL NURTURES REGIONAL IDENTITY – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Jessica Collier reports that one of the first benefits of the Regional Economic Development Council process has been to inaugurate one regional identity for the North Country.
- TUPPER SEEKS $300K FOR BIOMASS STUDY – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Jessica Collier reports that the village of Tupper Lake is seeking $300,000 to perform a study to determine if a biomass-fired energy system would be feasible.
- NEW STATE LANDS STRENGTHEN ECOLOGY, ECONOMICS – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
Writers Dan Plumley and Dave Gibson, of the environmental group Adirondack Wild, say that at a cost of less than $700 per acre, New York State’s purchase of the former Finch lands is a well-balanced acquisition benefiting the Park’s environment, human communities and needed economic enhancement.
- DUFFY: CUOMO IS PRO-ENVIRONMENT AND PRO-BIZ – Capital Tonight (YNN) ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Nick Reisman reports that Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy positioned Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration as establishing a real balance between environmental regulation and enticing businesses to come to New York.
- WEAK LAW HURTS SHORELINES – Adirondack Explorer ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Mann reports that political compromises in the 1970s led to APA zoning regulations that are inadequate to protect shorelines of lakes and ponds in the Adirondack Park.
- ARGUMENTS SCHEDULED IN PADDLING-RIGHTS DISPUTE – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
A staff report notes that both parties in the "paddling-rights" lawsuit against Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown have requested summary judgment in the case.
- THE FUTURE OF OUR OUTLYING COMMUNITIES – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Writer Ernest Hohmeyer writes that if tourism is going to be “transformational” to our economy, we may need to think in new cooperative ways to encourage it before we lose the viability of our outlying communities.
- DEFYING WEATHER, NORTH COUNTRY APPLES THRIVE – NCPR.org ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Julie Grant reports that North Country apples seem to have survived the early frost that hit other areas of the state and are in decent shape, though a little early, this season.
- BOMBARDIER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MAJOR EXPANSION – Press-Republican ( Plattsburgh, NY) Website
Reporter Dan Heath reports that Bombardier Transportation in Plattsburgh is going ahead with plans to expand its manufacturing facility. The North Country Regional Economic Development Council awarded the project $2.5 million in state money to help pay for the $25 million project.
- FINCH PAPER ON STATE LAND DEAL, COMPANY?S FUTURE – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
Writer John Warren writes that Finch forest managers are proud of how they managed the forestland — including the 69,000 acres just sold to the state — and are still committed to playing a role in sustainably managing supplies of wood fiber for their plant in Glens Falls.
- STATE SHOULD PAY TAXES, NOT BUY LAND – Leader-Herald ( Gloversville, NY) Website
Letter writer Patrick Arceri writes that the state should find better uses for the $49 million it used to buy Adirondack forest land.
- FRONT LINES OF BUG BATTLE, FIREWOOD CHECKED FOR INSECTS AT CHECKPOINTS – Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jon Alexander reports on a stepped up effort to enforce the ban on transporting firewood in an effort to slow the progress of the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle.
- STATE WON?T HEAR BOATHOUSE ENFORCEMENT ISSUE UNTIL 2013 – Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jamie Munks that the state Legislature won’t deal with requests to allow lakeside towns to regulate boathouse and dock construction until at least next year.
- LAND BANK IDEA GROWS – Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Jordan Carleo-Evangelist reports that Albany is looking at an LDC to create a land bank where foreclosed buildings are taken off County books and given to responsible developers.
- APA APPROVES 1,300 ACRE SUBDIVISION NEAR HURRICANE WILDERNESS – NCPR.org ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Mann reports that the APA has approved a 1,300 acre subdivision that borders the Hurricane Mountain Wilderness.
- MONEY BETTER SPENT — ADIRONDACK LAND PURCHASES – WCKM-FM ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jim Scott speaks with Fred Monroe, executive director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, about the state land purchase and how the money could have been better used to
- NEWTON FALLS RESIDENTS STRUGGLE, HOPE – WWNY-TV ( Watertown, NY) Website
A staff report notes that the company that owns the now-closed Newton Falls paper mill is planning to leave the machinery in the mill as it searches for a new owner.
- OF RIVERS, RESTORATION AND HOPE FOR ALL THINGS WILD – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Writer Dan Plumley of Adirondack Wild writes that a program will help the understanding of the dynamic nature of our rivers and streams.
- APA MEETING THURSDAY FOCUSING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
A staff report notes that Thursday’s APA meeting will be focused on economic development and planning.
- LAKE GEORGE AREA TOWNS TAKE ACTION TO REGULATE DOCKS, BOATHOUSES – Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jamie Munks reports that Lake George and Queensbury are seeking an amendment to state law to allow the municipalities to continue regulating docks and boathouses.
- AD?K GROUP OPPOSES STATE LAND DEAL – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Mike Lynch reports that the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages issued a statement opposing the state land deal announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
- APA TO REVIEW KEENE SUBDIVISION – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
A staff writer reports that a subdivision in the town of Keene is on the agenda as the state Adirondack Park Agency holds its regular monthly meeting Thursday at its headquarters.
- GUEST VIEW: LATEST FOREST ACQUISITION IRRESPONSIBLE (Opinion) – The Utica Observer Dispatch ( Utica, NY) Website
Jerry Delaney, chairman of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, and Frederick Monroe, executive director, criticize the recent state purchase of Adirondack land.
- MORE HARDSHIP FOR ADIRONDACK VILLAGES (Opinion) – The Watertown Daily Times ( Watertown, NY) Website
Carol Hart, the executive director of Adirondack Association of Towns & Villages, criticizes the state’s purchase of 9,000 acres of land in the Adirondacks.
- STATE’S LAND PURCHASES NEED VISION (Editorial) – The Leader Herald ( Gloversville, NY) Website
The Leader Herald editorial board weighs in on New York’s acquisition of 69,000 acres of Adirondack land.
- DON’T JUMP THE GUN; LAND IS STILL PRIVATE (Editorial) – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise editorial board weighs in on the recene Adirondack land purchase by the state.
- TRAIN MAKES OPENING RUN ON TAHAWUS FREIGHT LINE – North Country Public Radio ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Andy Flynn reports that for the first time in nearly a quarter century, a freight train made the trip this week from North Creek to the Barton garnet mine.
- DEC SURVEY AIMS TO ASSESS STATE FOREST MANAGEMENT – The Watertown Daily Times ( Watertown, NY) Website
A staff writer reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting a survey to assess how the state’s management of state forests affects their public use.
- OPPOSITION TO ADIRONDACK LAND PURCHASE – YNN: Capitol Tonight ( Albany, NY) Website
YNN’s Nick Reisman talks with Fred Monroe of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board and Brian Towers of the Adirondack Association of Towns & Villages about the recent state Adirondack land purchase.
- BOATHOUSE CASE MAY GO TO HIGHEST NY COURT – North Country Public Radio ( Canton, NY) Website
NCPR reports that a groundbreaking legal case about which government can regulate boathouses isn’t over yet.
- STATE LAND PURCHASE WILL AID ADIRONDACK LEGACY (Editorial) – The Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
The Post-Star editorial board weighs in on the state purchase of 69,000 acres in the Adirondack Park.
- AN OK COMPROMISE, BUT THEN WHAT? (Editorial) – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise editorial board comments on the state aquisition of 69,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn and Co. timberland from The Nature Conservancy.
- IDA CHECKS OUT RESORT SITE – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Jessica Collier reports that members of the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency spent some time Wednesday getting familiar with the Adirondack Club and Resort project.
- CUOMO SIGNS MASSIVE LAND DEAL IN LAKE PLACID – The Adirondack Journal ( Warrensburg, NY) Website
Reporter Keith Lobdell reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a trip to the Lake Placid Conference Center to officially sign off on the state’s acquisition of 69,000 acres of land formerly owned by Finch Pruyn for inclusion into the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve.
- LAND PURCHASE: Q&A WITH THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S MIKE CARR – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Mike Lynch interviews Mike Carr, executive director of The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter.
- ADIRONDACK LAND PURCHASE WILL BOOST ECONOMY, MARTENS SAYS (Blog) – The Journal News: Politics on the Hudson ( White Plains, NY) Website
Reporter Jon Campbell reports that the state’s top environmental regulator said today that 69,000 acres of Adirondack land purchased by the state will help lead to economic development in the area.
- MIXED REACTION TO STATE LAND PURCHASE – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporters Mike Lynch and CHris Morris report on the reaction to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the state would proceed with the purchase of 69,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn and Co. land in the central Adirondacks.
- NEW YORK’S ADIRONDACK PARK GROWS AGAIN, AND PUBLIC RECREATION BENEFITS – The Associated Press ( ) Website
AP reporter Mary Esch reports that world-class canoe and kayak waters will be open to the public within a few months when the first phase of New York’s plan to buy 69,000 acres of Adirondack land is completed.
- FIRST SECTION OF FREIGHT LINE OPENS TO TAHAWUS – The Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Eric Anderson reports that for the first time in 23 years, a train on Wednesday will travel north of the North Creek station in Warren County.
- NOT EVERYONE IS THRILLED WITH ADK PURCHASE (Blog) – The Times Union: Capitol Confidential ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Rick Karlin writes that not everyone is thrilled with the recently announced purchase of 69,000 acres of forest land in the Adirondacks.
- STATE LAND PURCHASE WOULD BEGIN WITH ESSEX LAKES – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Mike Lynch reports that it appears the state is planning to purchase the Essex Chain of Lakes first in its plan to acquire 69,000 acres of Adirondack wilderness.
- Q&A WITH DEC LEADERS ON THE FINCH LAND DEAL – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Mike Lynch interviews state DEC commissioner Joe Martens and state forester Rob Davies, director of DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests.
- ADIRONDACKS LOOK BETTER THAN EVER (Editorial) – The Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
The Times Union editorial board weighs in on the state’s acquisition of a large swath of Adirondack land from the Nature Conservancy.
- TAHAWUS RAIL LINE REOPENING WITH SHORT RUN (Paysite) – The Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jon Alexander reports that the rail line between North Creek and North River will officially open Wednesday to freight service.
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- LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW BOARD BLASTS $47 MILLION CUOMO LAND DEAL AS "IRRESPONSIBLE" – North Country Public Radio ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Mann reports that the Adirondack Park Local Government Review board is criticizing Governor Cuomo for his decision to purchase tens of thousands of acres of Adirondack land.
- STATE REACHES DEAL TO BUY 69,000 ACRES – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Chris Morris reports that the biggest addition to the Adirondack State Forest Preserve in more than 100 years was made official during a press conference Sunday.
- STATE ADDS 69,000 ACRES TO FOREVER WILD ADIRONDACK LAND – The Press Republican ( Plattsburgh, NY) Website
Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that the largest state land purchase in more than a century took place Sunday.
- 69,000 MORE ACRES OF ADIRONDACK PARK ‘FOREVER WILD’ (Paysite) – The Post-Star ( Glens Falls, NY) Website
Reporter Jamie Munks reports that the Adirondack State Forest Preserve grew by 69,000 acres Sunday, when the state acquired former Finch Paper land in the Adirondack Park.
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- A TRAIL WHILE WE WAIT FOR NEW RAILS (Letter to the Editor) – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Lee Keet, a member of ARTA’s board of directors, weighs in on the rails vs trails debate.
- CUOMO SIGNS HISTORIC $47 MILLION DEAL TO PROTECT HUDSON RIVER WATERSHED – North Country Public Radio ( Canton, NY) Website
North Country Public Radio reports that Governor Andrew Cuomo traveled to Lake Placid on Sunday and signed an agreement that will expand the Adirondack forest preserve by nearly 70,000 acres.
"These are the jewels. These are lands surrounded by existing forest preserve. Places like Boreas Ponds, OK Slip Falls, the Essex Chain of Lakes, miles of the Hudson River. These are places people will come to discover from around the world," said Mike Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.
- HISTORIC DEAL IN ADIRONDACKS – The Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Bryan Fitzgerald reports that Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday the state’s acquisition of 69,000 acres of Adirondack land previously owned by the timber company Finch Pruyn and the Nature Conservancy.
- THE ARCHITECT: NATURE CONSERVANCY’S MIKE CARR REWIRES ADIRONDACK PARK (Blog) – North Country Public Radio: The Inbox ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Mann writes about the work of Mike Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.
- ADIRONDACK COUNCIL CALLS FOR PARK-WIDE BOAT WASHING STATIONS – Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Citing the recent discovery of the invasive spiny water flea in Lake George and the Champlain Canal, the Adirondack Council is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to establish boat-washing and inspection stations at all state boat launches in the Adirondack Park.
- SAVE ADIRONDACK COMMUNITIES OR CREATE REGIONAL CENTERS? – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Reporter Ernest Hohmeyer reports on the debate over saving Adirondack communities vs creating regional centers.
- RAILS-TO-TRAILS IS THE WAY TO GO (Letter to the Editor) – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
Former Adirondack Daily Enterprise feature writer Ken Youngblood offers thoughts on the Adirondack rails vs trails debate.
- FOREST PRESERVE GAINS 400 ACRES – The Times Union ( Albany, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Nearing reports that the state’s forever-wild state Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park is growing by more than 400 acres of forests and wetlands along the western shore of Lake Champlain.
- STATE ADDS 156 ACRES OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN WETLANDS – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
A staff writer reports that the state has acquired 156 acres on southern Lake Champlain in the Town of Dresden that will be added to the state Forest Preserve.
- TOBIE TRAIL BRIDGE APPROVED – Hamilton County Express ( Speculator, NY) Website
Reporter Pete Klein reports that bicyclists and walkers will be able to stay off the roads and on the TOBIE Trail when they want to cross the Moose River in the Town of Webb, thanks to the Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners.
- PISECO SCHOOL DISTRICT IN HAMILTON COUNTY WILL CEASE OPERATIONS (Blog) – North Country Public Radio: The Inbox ( Canton, NY) Website
Reporter Brian Mann writes that one of the smallest school districts in the Adirondack Park voted yesterday to close its doors.
- RAILS TO TRAILS? NO (Letter to the Editor) – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise ( Saranac Lake, NY) Website
A letter to the editor from Saranac Lake resident Emmett Hoops offers thoughts on the rails vs trails debate.
- TOWERING CHAIN HOTEL EYED FOR DOWNTOWN LAKE GEORGE – The Adirondack Journal ( Warrensburg, NY) Website
Reporter Thom Randall reports that a proposal to build an eight-story hotel in downtown Lake George is now under consideration by the Lake George Village Zoning Board of Appeals.
- LOST BROOK DISPATCHES: REVITALIZING TUPPER LAKE (Blog) – The Adirondack Almanack ( ) Website
Blogger Pete Nelson writes about efforts to revitalize Tupper Lake.