Adirondack Council Celebrates 50 Years of Conservation Leadership
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 13, 2025
ADIRONDACK COUNCIL CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Conservation Leadership Based in the Adirondacks, Influencing Albany & Washington D.C.
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – Founded as a coalition of national, regional and local environmental organizations, the Adirondack Council was created 50 years ago to focus attention on the emerging threats of acid rain, declining biodiversity and the increasing subdivision and development of wildlands the Adirondack Park.
Over five decades, the organization grew from a single staff member into a small, regional membership, a handful of staff and a budget of about half a million dollars a year. It has evolved into an organization with 17 full time staff and members in all 50 states, with a budget of nearly $3 million annually.
“For 50 years, we have drawn on science and a deep understanding of the state and federal political process to realize a long-range vision of a Park with clean water and air, large wilderness areas, working farms and forests, and vibrant communities,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre. “While issues, people, and organizations have changed over the years, we continue to work to find common ground with stakeholders on all sides of the issues, to hold public officials accountable for their decisions and actions, and to be a tireless advocate for this amazing place.”
“We believe in thinking big. The Council’s 2020 VISION series, released in 1988, outlined a plan for working together to protect some of the wildest places in the Adirondacks. With partners and through decades of dedication, more than 75% of the parcels identified are now protected as state land,” said Sarah C. Hatfield, Chair of the Adirondack Council Board of Directors. “Through efforts like protecting wilderness, fighting acid rain, and tackling road salt, we have built a community of partner organizations, local and state officials, and Council members that share a commitment to a strong, healthy future for the Adirondack Park. Together, we have taken on some of the toughest issues facing the Adirondack Park—and we are ready for the challenges ahead. The importance of our mission and the need for collective action have never been greater.”
Hatfield and Aguirre invite people to get involved and help shape the future of the Park. The Council will host events to celebrate the milestone and look forward to the opportunities to come. It will also be a time to reflect on what didn’t go right and engage people in new ways to address a changing world and a warming climate.
Albany Agenda
In Albany, the Council will focus this session on funding for the Survey of Climate and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems, Timbuctoo Climate and Careers Institute, municipal clean water projects, an enhanced Environmental Protection Fund and the protection of the Whitney Estate in Long Lake.
The survey is a multi-year program bringing together major scientific research institutions to study the impacts of air pollution and climate change on Adirondack waters. The institute brings high school students from Brooklyn to the Adirondacks to learn how to gain the training and credential for careers in wilderness management or environmental science. The Council will seek enhanced municipal clean water funding and a 25% increase in the Environmental Protection Fund, which pays for ecological capital projects. The Whitney Estate is a 36,000-acre forest containing 22 interconnected lakes and important wildlife habitat.
Washington Agenda
In Washington, the Council will work to preserve current protections from air pollution and acid rain, while seeking bolder action on climate. With a change in administrations, Council staff expect to spend considerable time defending current protections for the Park’s clean water and air.
Kind Words from Long-Time Allies
One of its most ardent allies on clean air and acid rain in Washington has been U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who formerly led the NYS Energy Research & Development Authority. “For half a century, the Adirondack Council has worked tirelessly to preserve and protect the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Adirondack Park,” Congressman Tonko said. “Utilizing science-based advocacy and working across partisan lines, the Council has spent many years at the forefront of efforts to keep this treasured wilderness safe, vibrant, and — most importantly — wild for generations to come. For many years, I’ve been honored to work alongside the Adirondack Council to preserve the Park’s wildlife, safeguard its clean air and water resources, and protect the communities who call it home – and I’m proud to congratulate all those at the Council on 50 years of transformative work.”
“For 50 years, the Adirondack Council has been a steadfast guardian of one of New York’s most treasured natural landscapes, ensuring that the Adirondack Park remains a beacon of ecological integrity and unparalleled outdoor recreation,” said NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Under our Senate Democratic Majority, we have proudly supported the Council’s vision by delivering transformative investments, including $3 billion in Clean Water Infrastructure Funding to safeguard drinking water and address stormwater challenges, and $2.1 billion for the Environmental Protection Fund to preserve our environment and enhance communities. We have also championed programs like the Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Institute, empowering the next generation of environmental leaders, and funded groundbreaking research through the SCALE program to better understand the impact of climate change on the Adirondack Park’s pristine lakes. As we celebrate this milestone, I look forward to continuing our partnership to protect and nurture the Adirondacks for future generations.”
“The Adirondacks remains one of the most beautiful and serene landscapes in New York,” said NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “And for over 50 years, the Adirondack Council has tirelessly worked towards making this exceptional landmark welcoming to all today and preserving it for future generations to enjoy. I want to congratulate them on this tremendous accomplishment and wish them the best over the next 50 years.”
“The Adirondack Council understands that the Forever Wild clause of our state Constitution sets New Yorkers apart from all others who claim to care about forests, wilderness and the future of our natural world,” said NYS Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn. “For 10 decades, the Council has helped people from all corners of our diverse state to understand the value of protecting wild lands and waters for future generations.”
“Congratulations to the Adirondack Council on 50 years of protecting the national treasure that is the Adirondack Park,” said NYS Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, D-Elmont. “The Assembly has been an enthusiastic partner in creating new programs to ensure the park’s long-term health and viability. Two recent examples are the multi-year Survey of Adirondack Lake Ecosystems, and the newly established Timbuctoo Climate and Careers Institute, which helps students from downstate gain access to meaningful careers in environmental protection, wilderness management and advocacy.”
“Congratulations on 50 years of working to protect the Adirondacks and its world-class trout and salmon fisheries from acid rain and road salt,” said NYS Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury. “Protecting sporting opportunities helps the local economy and improves the quality of life for Adirondackers.”
“Happy 50th anniversary to the Adirondack Council, which helped to pass a Constitutional Amendment that created a local land bank to help communities cope with the restrictions of living adjacent to state-protected wilderness areas,” said Assemblymember Matthew Simpson, R-Brant Lake. “Protecting wild places while working to develop the local economy is a tough task, but it is a task worth doing.”
Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded, not-for-profit environmental advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. The 9,300-square-mile Adirondack Park is one of the largest intact temperate deciduous forest ecosystems left in the world. The Adirondacks are home to about 130,000 New York residents in 130 rural communities.
The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy and legal action. The Council envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities.
For more information: John Sheehan, Director of Communications, 518-441-1340
End of news release
Excerpts of Minutes of the Organizational Meeting of the Adirondack Council
At the Adirondack Council’s foundational meeting on Jan. 13, 1975, William Hord of Silver Lake, Clinton County (representing the Hawkeye Property Owners Assoc.) was presiding.
Attendees included John H. Adams, President, Natural Resources Defense Council; Arthur M. Crocker, President, The Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks; Glenn W. Fish, President, Adirondack Mountain Club; Alfred S. Forsyth, President, Atlantic Chapter, Sierra Club; Harold K. Hochschild, founder of the Adirondack Museum/ADKX; Philip Hoose, Atlantic Chapter of Sierra Club, staff; Courtney Jones, President, the Adirondack Foundation; Robert Kafin, of Kafin and Needleman; Neil E. Needleman, of Kafin and Needleman; Frank J. Oliver, President, Adirondack Mountain Club Foundation; William Rockefeller, Upper Saranac Lake; James Rogers, III, Hawkeye Property owners Association; Arthur Savage, President, the Adirondack Conservancy.
Summary
Attendees were concerned that a company called Wambat Realty had proposed a 2,200-acre subdivision and development called Valmont Village in Black Brook, Clinton County. The development would have created a grid of several hundred new vacation homes in a pristine forest and along the shoreline of Silver Lake. The developers rejected the authority of the newly created Adirondack Park Agency (1973) and sued the state, claiming that the APA’s zoning authority over private land was unconstitutional.
Attendees said a new organization was needed in the Adirondacks, combining the resources of local, regional, state and national conservation organizations.
From the minutes of the meeting:
Mr. Sive commented upon the Wambat case and other dangerous actions and said "a mechanism must be established to pick those matters in which we intervene, to conduct fund raising on a continuing basis, to secure as much as we can by way of voluntary contributions of services, and act as a monitor of Agency proceedings." It was suggested that such a new consortium be called the Adirondack Council …
It was unanimously decided to recommend to the Boards of each organization that they approve the Adirondack Council concept and designate a representative and an alternate and that other major organizations interested in the protection of the Adirondacks be invited to join us …
Mr. Forsyth and Mr. Hoose reported that at a meeting held in Albany last weekend it had been recommended that a special joint Legal Defense Committee be organized. It was the consensus of those present that such a legal committee should be a part of the Adirondack Council but that the Council should not necessarily limit its activities to legal matters.
At this point Mr. Hochschild left the meeting because of another appointment. Just before he departed Mr. Hochschild commented to the effect that in his opinion the concept is good and the Council is necessary and we need money.
Mr. James Rogers, III who is domiciled in Lake Placid and owns radio station WNBZ in Saranac Lake, then commented upon the attitudes of persons living within the Adirondack Park and the reaction of the media to the Adirondack Park Agency's activities. There is considerable criticism of the Agency. Those present were of the opinion that the Adirondack Council should feel a moral obligation to do all it can to provide accurate information to the people of the Adirondacks.
