The Pharoah Lake Wilderness – A Recovered Jewel
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.
Evelyn Greene, Denizen of the Forest Preserve, 1940 - 2025
The legacy of Evelyn Greene (1940-2025) lives on in the Adirondacks.
Update: OPDMDs and Wilderness Access for People with Disabilities
The redefinition of “motor vehicle” would fundamentally alter the traditional definition of Wilderness, which has always had the prohibition of motor vehicle access by the public as an essential tenet.
People with Disabilities have a Right to Accommodations – So Does Wilderness
It has long been a characteristic of human societies that oppressed classes end up pitted against each other, as though one is the cause of the other’s oppression. When it comes to the matter of improved access to the Forest Preserve for those with disabilities, let’s not let it happen here in the Adirondacks.
Keep Debar Pond Forever Wild
Debar Pond one of the most scenic spots in the Adirondack Forest Preserve—and probably a place you haven’t even yet had a chance to see.
2024 Open Woods Ski Season at Jenkins Mountain Announced
It’s 2024 and ski season is upon us! Skiing and visitor use management studies are our favorite thing.
Protecting Remoteness: AWA at the Adirondack Sports Summer Expo
Every year, Adirondack Wilderness Advocates has a booth at the Adirondack Sports Expo, where we highlight a current campaign, engage the public and have a great time talking with people about the their passion for wilderness and advocating for our latest causes.
Ski Jenkins!
Jenkins Mountain backcountry skiing is open at the Paul Smith’s College VIC to offer great skiing experiences and a case study for Visitor Use Management.
Adapting to Jenkins Mountain
Chad Dawson knows a little bit about recreation and wilderness management. Professor Emeritus of Recreation Resources Management at SUNY ESF and a former APA Commissioner, Dawson is uniquely qualified to help shepherd the State of New York toward adaptive management, a new management paradigm for the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
Hiker Dispersal – Take the Survey!
What are your opinions on hiker dispersal? Let us know!
Examining Hiker Dispersal: What’s Next
One of the issues AWA is working on is dispersal: the strategy of redirecting hikers from busier to lesser-used trailheads. We started with an informal survey sent to our supporters, to help us gain additional perspective on hikers’ views of dispersal. We learned quite a bit from the responses, and now we are working to incorporate a more formal investigation of dispersal as a part of coming adaptive management projects in the Adirondack Park.
Leading the Way on Adaptive Management
Adaptive management, recommended by the State of New York High Peaks Advisory Group (HPAG), of which we were a part, is an iterative approach to wilderness and visitor management that uses science and data to drive a cycle of measuring, learning and adapting to changing conditions. Used with great success elsewhere, it is the world-class management approach that Adirondack wilderness needs and deserves.
VUM Topic of Next Wilderness Webinar
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?
Expertise and Adaptive Management for the High Peaks
AWA’s first order of business in serving on the High Peaks Advisory Group (HPAG) was to ensure that protection of the Wilderness was a paramount and inviolate principle. That was established early in our meetings and it is clearly stated in the HPAG’s Final Report. Now comes the hard part: how to protect and preserve that Wilderness in the face of massive surges in use and the increasing pressures of a changing world.
Leading with Principles
Read the report that came out of the High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group (HPAG).
Protecting the Wilderness with Positive Reinforcement
The Coronavirus pandemic, which depressed visitation for the first part of the summer, has clearly caused a massive spike in recreation.
AWA Takes an Active Role in High Peaks Visitor Management
AWA is one of only three environmental advocacy organizations named to the High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group (HPAG), which was formed in November.
High Peaks Wilderness Gateway
Consider for a moment of the High Peaks traffic that both Lake Placid and the Keene Valley get. Think of the drive it takes to get to any of those trailheads from outside of the Park. Now imagine a “High Peaks Wilderness Gateway” facility right at Exit 29 on the Northway.
Economic Benefits of Wilderness
Western counties containing wilderness areas outperform other rural counties, and further that there is a causal relationship between the appeal of wilderness and economic benefit.
Truth About Age, Ability, Access and Wilderness
We must never forget that every person has the right to experience the grandeur of Adirondack Wilderness, including the Boreas Ponds Tract. There are a variety of ways to make that more possible without compromising Wilderness protection.