Wild Thoughts
Wild Thoughts from AWA
and Friends
AWA has published a compelling series of articles and videos about Adirondack issues. Check them out below.
You Are Invited to Contribute
Getting outdoors is fun, but sometimes it’s fun to explore from the comfort of your home. Read how one of our Wilderness Advocates got started with maps and the joy they get from them.
This summer we decided to take on the formidable task of moving our site to a newer and easier technology platform, and while we were at it, we’ve redesigned our look-and-feel with the help of Rooted Rock Marketing.
Who walked before us in the wild lands of the Adirondack Park?
For many people, time spent in the wilderness is bliss. It’s fulfilling. It’s all encompassing. But it also entails responsibility, both for ourselves and others.
Wilderness is many things. It’s complicated. Wilderness is remote. Wilderness is solitude. It’s far from any roads. Not near a town.
Eskers are neat remnants of the glaciers which once covered the Adirondacks and other northern climes.
This lightly-visited tract may not have same cachet as the much larger Siamese Ponds, West Canada Lakes, or Five Ponds Wilderness areas (much less the High Peaks Wilderness), but its charms are equally alluring.
The legacy of Evelyn Greene (1940-2025) lives on in the Adirondacks.
Adirondack Wilderness Advocates today called upon New York State to step up to ensure the best possible protection of what is one of the most significant wild parcels in private ownership in the Eastern United States.
The definition of “motor vehicle” will NOT be altered to permit motorized vehicles in Wilderness Areas. This is a huge victory.
READ
Join AWA Treasurer Craig McGowan and Board Chair Pete Nelson as they talk with Lake George Land Conservancy Executive Director Michael Horn about the work of the LGLC.
Join AWA Treasurer Craig McGowan and Board Chair Pete Nelson as they talk with Lake George Land Conservancy Executive Director Michael Horn about the work of the LGLC. Land trusts play a vital role in protecting land and helping to integrate the tapestry of Adirondack wild lands. But they also play a vital role in protecting Adirondack waters. In this wide-ranging discussion, Mike talks about the specific ways in which the LGLC protects Lake George’s precious watershed by preserving and stewarding the lands that surround it.
Join AWA Board members Bill Ingersoll and Pete Nelson as they discuss the meaning and value of wilderness with eminent Adirondack historian Philip Terrie.
Join AWA Board members Bill Ingersoll and Pete Nelson as they discuss the meaning and value of wilderness with eminent Adirondack historian Philip Terrie. Phil is professor emeritus of American culture studies, English and environmental studies at Bowling Green State University and is the author of five books on Adirondack history, including the widely-read Contested Terrain. He is working on a new book in which he explores the meaning and import of Article XIV of New York State’s Constitution, the famous “Forever Wild” amendment, and simultaneously reevaluates his own six-decade relationship with wilderness. Enjoy a lively and insightful conversation about reality, imagination and aspiration among three ardent lovers of wild places, as they discuss the Adirondacks’ most precious asset: wilderness.
In this installation of AWA's Wild Thoughts Video, Pete Nelson and Kayla White discuss current efforts in Adirondack land conservation with Connie Prickett and Chris Jage of the Adirondack Land Trust.
In this installation of AWA's Wild Thoughts Video, Pete Nelson and Kayla White discuss current efforts in Adirondack land conservation with Connie Prickett and Chris Jage of the Adirondack Land Trust. What does the trust do, how do they preserve ecological integrity, and are conservation easements less ironclad than “Forever Wild”? Learn about the trust’s past and recent achievements, including the purchase of a 187-acre preserve at the junction of NY 73 and Adirondak Loj Road, in this 45-minute conversation.
In this installation of AWA's "Wild Thoughts Podcast," Bill Ingersoll, Kayla White, and Pete Nelson discuss "Strange Natures: Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology" written by Kent H Redford & William M Adams.
In this installation of AWA's "Wild Thoughts Podcast," Bill Ingersoll, Kayla White, and Pete Nelson discuss "Strange Natures: Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology" written by Kent H Redford & William M Adams. This book was published in 2021 by Yale University Press - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300230970/strange-natures/. As we draw towards the end of 2023, we are wrapping up our first year as podcasters! The "Wild Thoughts" series is a new undertaking for AWA, and with your support we hope to grow it into an entertaining and informative resource for all things Adirondack wilderness. Please share your thoughts and feedback, and remember that we are a small grassroots organization with a small budget and big ambitions. If you liked what you've seen, please visit us at AdirondackWilderness.org.
In this episode we talk with author and board member Bill Ingersoll and AWA Chair Pete Nelson about why advocacy is important to keeping the Adirondacks Wild.
In this episode we talk with author and board member Bill Ingersoll and AWA Chair Pete Nelson about why advocacy is important to keeping the Adirondacks Wild.
In August, the owner of the popular rental facility, the Cabins at Chimney Mountain, announced the closure of public access to hiking trails in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness that begin on private property. In this episode of AWA's Wild Thoughts Podcast, Craig McGowan and Bill Ingersoll discuss the implications of this development and its impacts on public access to the backcountry.
In August, the owner of the popular rental facility, the Cabins at Chimney Mountain, announced the closure of public access to hiking trails in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness that begin on private property. In this episode of AWA's Wild Thoughts Podcast, Craig McGowan and Bill Ingersoll discuss the implications of this development and its impacts on public access to the backcountry.
In this installation of AWA's "Wild Thoughts Podcast," Bill Ingersoll is joined by Scott Daskiewich, chair of the New York Chapter of the Native Fish Coalition. During the course of a 30-minute discussion, they trade tales about one of their mutually favorite areas: the Five Ponds and Pepperbox Wilderness north of Stillwater Reservoir.
In August, the owner of the popular rental facility, the Cabins at Chimney Mountain, announced the closure of public access to hiking trails in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness that begin on private property. In this episode of AWA's Wild Thoughts Podcast, Craig McGowan and Bill Ingersoll discuss the implications of this development and its impacts on public access to the backcountry.
In this edition, we will be discussing the thorny issue of roads in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
In this edition, we will be discussing the thorny issue of roads in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. This month the Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comments on the topic of No Material Increase and CP-3 access roads, terms that I'm sure are on the tip of everyone's tongues. For the next 30 minutes or so we will have a discussion on what the APA is asking, what these terms mean, and what's at stake for wilderness in the Adirondacks.
AWA members discuss one of the most important attributes of wilderness: remoteness… that sometimes elusive element that hikers and paddlers often crave but which seems constantly imperiled by the creeping sprawl of modern civilization.
AWA founding members Pete Nelson, Bill Ingersoll, Kayla White, and Craig McGowan discuss one of the most important attributes of wilderness: Remoteness… that sometimes elusive element that hikers and paddlers often crave but which seems constantly imperiled by the creeping sprawl of modern civilization. Does remoteness still exist? Can it be saved? And just as importantly: can we measure it! We discuss our experiences in some of our favorite places, including a recent visit to the Siamese Ponds Wilderness and touching on such topics as snowmobiling and Boreas Ponds. Our 2016 "Remote Areas Map" is also mentioned once or twice! This video podcast is a new undertaking for us, and with your support we hope to grow our Wild Thoughts series into an entertaining and informative resource for all things Adirondack wilderness. Please share your thoughts and feedback, and remember that we are a small grassroots organization with a small budget and big ambitions. If you like what you've seen, please consider making a financial contribution using our Donate button. Every bit helps us advance our mission!
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Kayla White, the Adirondack Mountain Club's Chief Steward, discusses the wide range of activities professional and volunteers stewards do to protect the wilderness, especially the fragile plants that exist on the highest summits.
Kayla White, the Adirondack Mountain Club's Chief Steward, discusses the wide range of activities professional and volunteers stewards do to protect the wilderness, especially the fragile plants that exist on the highest summits.
Visitor Use Management (VUM) is getting a lot of attention in discussions about how best to manage and protect the Forest Preserve. But what is it and how can it benefit the Adirondack Park?
Visitor Use Management (VUM) is getting a lot of attention in discussions about how best to manage and protect the Forest Preserve. But what is it and how can it benefit the Adirondack Park? How does it relate to the recently-released advisory reports for managing the High Peaks Wilderness? Join wilderness management expert Chad Dawson for an in-depth webinar on this timely topic. Dawson, a Professor Emeritus at SUNY ESF as well as a former APA Board Member, joined Adirondack Wilderness Advocates as a technical advisor in 2021. The event will be free and open to the public. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is required to produce unit management plans (UMPs) for each tract of public land it oversees, and VUM will likely become a key part of how many actions are conceived, implemented, and monitored over time. How is this process different from what DEC has been doing for years? What are the advantages and benefits? “The concept of Visitor Use Management is nothing new, startling, or controversial, and it is widely accepted in resource and recreation management across the United States,” says Dawson. It is, however, a new topic when it comes to how the Adirondacks will be managed. “The recently released High Peaks Advisory Group (HPAG) report recommends the VUM framework, and the Wildlands Monitoring Guidance of Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) added VUM into its title and narrative.” The Wildlands Monitoring Guidance was designed by Adirondack Park Agency and DEC field staff to address localized and specific management issues (such as visitor trail impacts) and the VUM framework was designed for a range of resource and visitor use issues over large and small geographic areas. If VUM sounds like a radical change to the way things have always been done, Dawson suggests that this is only because the process has been misunderstood. “DEC administrators are daunted by the additional transparency and accountability that are integral to a VUM process,” he says, “even though the HPAG report strongly encourages them to engage VUM and adaptive management.”
AWA founding members Pete Nelson, Bill Ingersoll, Kayla White, and Craig McGowan discuss one of the most important attributes of wilderness: Remoteness… that sometimes elusive element that hikers and paddlers often crave but which seems constantly imperiled by the creeping sprawl of modern civilization. Does remoteness still exist? Can it be saved? And just as importantly: can we measure it!
AWA founding members Pete Nelson, Bill Ingersoll, Kayla White, and Craig McGowan discuss one of the most important attributes of wilderness: Remoteness… that sometimes elusive element that hikers and paddlers often crave but which seems constantly imperiled by the creeping sprawl of modern civilization. Does remoteness still exist? Can it be saved? And just as importantly: can we measure it!