Clarence Petty (1905-2009) grew up in the Adirondacks and eventually had a career with the state conservation department. His biography by Chris Angus, The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty. (Syracuse University Press, 2002) is still available.  After a few years with the new APA, upon retirement in 1974 Clarence became one of the great citizen advocates for conservation. I first met him in 1987 in the board room of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, where his voice stilled the room. He never dominated a meeting, but when he did speak his voice carried » Continue Reading.

Students helped save a trout stream with the historic conservation practice of planting trees.  Warner Brook, Town of Arietta, has been negatively impacted by bank erosion for years, and the Halloween Storm of 2019 worsened the stream’s condition.  The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District teamed up with partners and students to get conservation on the ground and stabilize Warner Brook.

Warner Brook has been plagued by erosion for decades.  During the Halloween Storm, fast moving flood waters, rocks, and boulders scoured and undercut the banks.

Where Warner Brook enters Piseco Lake, water velocity decreased, and sediment settled out to » Continue Reading.

Very few structures conform to the rigorous restrictions imposed on Adirondack wilderness areas – unless you are talking about dams.

Largely a remnant of the region’s logging industry, structures that impound the headwaters of scenic and wild rivers dot the park’s most remote corners. While no new dams can be built in wilderness areas, existing ones can be maintained, one of the few structures considered conforming.

Despite management plans that suggest the state should maintain its most remote dams, some have fallen deep into disrepair, while others have succumbed to storms in recent years (see Duck Hole and Marcy dams).

» Continue Reading.

If you are planning a trip to the Adirondacks, there is a chance that you could see a moose. DEC requests that any moose observations be reported through the Moose Sighting Report Form on DEC’s website. DEC uses this information to monitor the relative abundance and distribution of New York’s moose population and identify areas where additional population assessments may be warranted.

Based on the moose sighting data compiled by DEC to date, spring moose sightings typically occur along major roadways in the central Adirondacks during the morning between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., with a secondary spike in sightings occurring in the evening around 7 p.m. (/www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/05/dec-invites-all-to-report-adk-moose-sightings.html" class="conreading">» Continue Reading.