Adirondack Council Welcomes Back Raul “Rocci” Aguirre
Former Conservation Director Returns, Becomes Deputy Director
Thursday, October 28, 2021
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – The Adirondack Council today welcomed back Raul “Rocci” Aguirre after an eight-month absence, noting that the former Conservation Director will now assume the role of Deputy Director for the environmental organization.
“I am coming back to the Adirondacks with a renewed commitment to protecting the wild places and assisting local communities,” Aguirre said, “and a greater appreciation for just how important this landscape is as a refuge and place of sanctuary during this unique moment in time.”
“I am both excited and relieved to have Rocci back with us during this crucial moment for the Adirondack Park and the Adirondack Council,” said Executive Director William C. Janeway. “Our conservation staff alone has grown from two to six people in the past year or so. Overall, our staff has expanded from 14 to 21 full-time positions -- not counting expert consultants, attorneys, interns, and part-time positions. We have added the Forever Adirondacks Campaign and we have some exciting additional announcements to make about our work in the near future. We need Rocci to help us get all of that done.”
Aguirre had left the Council in January to take on the role of Executive Director of Advocacy, Policy, and Science at Scenic Hudson, a based in Poughkeepsie, NY. After eight months at the Hudson Valley organization, a combination of family and personal circumstances led Aguirre and his family back to the Adirondacks.
“As hard as it was to leave Scenic Hudson and the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Council are my home,” he said. “My family and I are deeply committed to the Adirondacks, to its communities, to its rugged landscape, and to the work that remains ahead of us. Like Scenic Hudson, the Council is a powerhouse conservation organization that seeks to protect an amazing landscape, while supporting vibrant communities and working landscapes. Both are acting boldly to address the most important issues of our time, such as climate resiliency, environmental justice, and recreational overuse.
“These are the issues that I have spent the past 27 years working on,” he explained. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to step back into an organization that I deeply believe in, and be part of such a dedicated and professional staff working on the most pressing issues facing the North Country.”
The Adirondack Council’s previous Deputy Director Diane W. Fish retired from the staff in February and joined the Council’s Board of Directors in July.
As Deputy Director, Aguirre will be focused on improving organizational capacity and strategic planning efforts, among other efforts as the Council embarks on a new phase of growth and engagement on key environmental issues.
Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. It is the largest environmental organization whose sole focus is the Adirondacks.
The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy, and legal action. It envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities. Adirondack Council advocates live in all 50 United States.
For more information: John Sheehan, Director of Communications, 518-441-1340
