Tabla de contenidos para November/December 2024 en Adirondack Explorer

BIG TUPPER LAND GOES ON SALE IN FORECLOSURE AUCTION BY JAMES M. ODATO Investors interested in purchasing the former Big Tupper ski center and property around it in Tupper Lake will have a bidder’s chance on the wooded acreage on Nov. 7 in Malone. The long-closed downhill facility, Cranberry Pond, a small marina and vacant land—a total of about 240 acres foreclosed on by Franklin County—is set to be auctioned at the county courthouse. The required minimum bid is $468,873 for the closed ski center alone, said Treasurer Francis Perry. Three other parcels close to Big Tupper will also be auctioned because of their tax delinquencies by the limited liability corporations that sought to build the Adirondack Club and Resort (ACR) on a swath of land at the edge of…

If you build it, they may not come This is a great article “Hotel rooms aplenty” July/August). Some of us who have connections to Lake Placid going back to the 1960’s (and have seen big changes since the demise of the old Lake Placid Club and other properties) but also have lived and worked in the marketing industry in the region in recent years (and spend time in summers here) have watched with a skeptical eye about some of the hotels that have been bought, remodeled or newly developed. Hotel Saranac (once a Paul Smith’s College-owned training hotel) was the first huge investment in an old property in Saranac Lake that I wondered about. Classic old bones, location in town, but there were questions I had about the amount of…

When Reed Middendorf gets a box of live wasps delivered to his apartment in Saranac Lake, all other work stops. A seasonal terrestrial invasive plant assistant with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, Middendorf has less than 24 hours to rush the wasps to woodlands in Johnsburg in Warren County. The insects would not survive long in a package and they have a mission in the wild. Middendorf’s made the trip several times this summer. One July day, shortly after storms and tornadoes ravaged the region, he drove his truck through a gated dirt driveway until he came upon a white colonial home overlooking the hills and valleys of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Karl Kurka emerged from the front door wearing a bucket hat with a drawstring. He inquired about…

“Problem” bears can be traced to the people around them Recent actions by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to remove a sow bear and her cubs in Old Forge received significant attention with some asking why, or if, a lethal approach was necessary. DEC wildlife staff, rangers, environmental conservation and campground employees invest significant efforts each year to avoid fatal outcomes, most often with success. Through social media, web content, news releases, signage at campgrounds and paper literature, DEC offers tips and advice on how to avoid bear conflicts and live responsibly with bears. Wildlife staff engage regularly in-person with communities and groups to raise awareness about bears and the conflicts that can arise when bears associate human activity with food. DEC also adopted the BearWise program, a…

When my wife, Debbie, and I settled along the Saranac River a quarter century ago, we launched a biological survey of our 18 Adirondack acres. Just for fun, we also began keeping track of the wild things that turned up inside our house. That list would grow longer and more varied than we ever could have imagined. Sure, there were the expected and often dreaded mosquitoes and mice, and a confirmation of strep in Debbie’s throat gave us the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. Mosquitoes were identified by our entomologist friend Wayne Gall. Every specimen collected in our house proved to be a representative of the notorious species Ochlerotatus intrudens. “Intrudens” honors the genius of this insect for invading domiciles. An aggressive feeder, this vampire never rests, and while it’s in the…

Rain was blanketing Au Sable Forks with no sign of letting up. Chad Garcia watched the AuSable River anxiously that afternoon on Aug. 18, 2011. “You could literally see it rising,” Garcia said. His wife, young children and neighbors evacuated while Garcia stayed behind. Then he realized it was no longer safe. The rushing waters destroyed his home. Tropical Storm Irene caused widespread damage across the Adirondack Park, including in river towns like Jay and Keene, with a deluge that triggered sweeping floods. No deaths were reported in the park but the region saw tens of millions of dollars in damage. Inspecting his neighborhood and home, Garcia realized quickly his family could not live there without significant repairs. The sharp smell of fuel oil filled the air and debris covered…

Scott Remington dreamed of visiting Great Camp Santanoni. The lakeside main lodge at the historic camp in Newcomb, reachable only by an unpaved carriage road, has been mostly off-limits to visitors like Remington. He is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair. In September, Remington, 58, of Brant Lake, got his wish. He became one of the first to test the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s mobility pilot program. He got aboard the DEC’s mobile wheelchair and traversed Santanoni’s five miles of dirt and gravel trails. Remington was set up on an adaptive quad-ricycle fitted with four treaded wheels and a bucket seat for rough paths, allowing him to independently navigate and experience the great camp’s beauty for the first time. However, his visit was also an assessment of the program.…

The Adirondack Park is home to a web of compost programs that divert food waste from landfills. Now, Compost for Good, run by AdkAction and the Adirondack North Country Association, is entering what is likely uncharted territory in the industry: the reuse of human urine. The nutrient-dense material, combined with a carbon source like woodchips, is repurposed in the ground and could replace some mass-produced chemical fertilizers. The compost also has the potential to boost soil health, aiding in carbon storage. “Diverted human urine is what most people consider a waste, but I consider a valuable resource,” said composter John Culpepper. The “pee-cycling” is known as the Human Urine Research and Demonstration (HURD) in Jay. After several years of experimentation by Culpepper and his daughter Katie, HURD is taking hold.…

In early August, I was invited to a conversation about reparations in Essex organized by Alice Green and her husband Charles Touhey. I was unable to attend. A few weeks later Alice died. I regret missing the event. I lost someone I always looked up to from afar. I won’t forget her mission. I knew Alice Green’s work. She founded and ran the Center for Law and Justice in Albany, where I live, and received a doctorate in criminal justice at UAlbany, where I went to school, to propel her work in social justice. I always wanted to meet Alice. We shared a commitment of advocating for civil rights and prison abolition. Since her death, I immersed myself in her writing and recorded interviews. I relate to her experience growing…

In the fall, when most Adirondack breeding birds are migrating south, birders begin to anticipate which species from the north will winter in our area. Migration, and movements of birds, including “irruptions” of northern wintering species to the south, are all about food sources. While we know which species will arrive in spring to nest, the northern birds that visit in winter are a different mix each year. Seeds are a primary food staple for many wintering birds, particularly finches. To make predictions about which species we may encounter, an assessment of tree seed crops is taken during late summer. Observations are made in the Canadian provinces and across northern states by 50 contributors. Seed crops for coniferous and deciduous trees, including fruit trees, are rated on a scale from…

Hurricane Helene’s destruction in the bucolic city of Asheville, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is an awakening for all of us. Violent weather events fueled by climate change can happen anywhere–even in places not normally prone to hurricanes, tornadoes or wildfires. Here in the Adirondacks, rains and flooding in July battered several communities, including some that were still cleaning up, and paying for, damages from equally serious storms that hit at just about the same time last year. What we used to consider once-in-a-generation storms are punishing our rural mountain towns more frequently and more violently. Paying for the repair of those damages is a challenge for small communities with small budgets. But the speeding pattern of storms has Adirondack leaders looking beyond the immediate financial need and toward…

When Tropical Storm Debby drenched the Adirondacks in early August, some saw it as a disaster. Glenn Glover saw it as an opportunity. It allowed him to show how smartly built trails can withstand the impacts of downpours. The director of Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) put on his raincoat and visited trails in Lake Placid. The newer, sustainably built ones shed water and held up to the pounding rain. Yet, run-off created a two-foot-deep rut in an older ski trail built on a steeper grade without modern drainage features. “Pretty much everybody in the outdoor recreation arena is thinking about climate resilience going forward,” said Glover, whose group works on trails in Franklin and Essex counties. “The vast majority of us have commitments either to land managers or to the…

Remote work might be the future of Ad-irondack employment, and the future might be here now. There is little doubt the ranks of remote workers have grown, so the questions become, by how much, and how much room is there for the trend to run? Communities such as the Adirondacks that boast attractive lifestyle opportunities are fertile ground for employees freed from the shackles of a daily urban commute, a trend that could make the Adirondacks younger, wealthier and more educated—if they can find a place to live. “We still see people who are looking for remote or hybrid jobs,” said Liza Ochsendorf, director of Warren County Workforce Development. “COVID shifted everyone’s priorities, and job seekers still have more leverage in negotiating now than pre-pandemic. People want to work differently.”…

A selection of votes that affect Adiron-dackers about the economy, climate change, road repairs and the environment show that Washington, D.C. and Albany representatives were rarely in accord in recent sessions. As incumbent state legislators and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Albany, seek re-election this year, the Adirondack Explorer put together a scorecard. The League of Conservation Voters provided a zero score for Stefanik on bills it considers important to the environment and a 100% for Gillibrand in the most recent ratings. Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, received an 85%. He also voted in favor of a bill to require sellers to tell buyers if real estate is a flood risk. He was followed by Assemblyman Matthew Simpson, R-Lake George, 46%, and Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury,…

Like pretty much every outdoors-oriented resident of the Adirondacks, I drop everything the second the weekly rangers’ rescue report lands in my inbox. I love reading of the heroic rescues on the back side of Haystack. The thrill! The suspense! The relief that it wasn’t me! But the greatest entry ever occurred recently when rangers rushed to Brown Tract Pond Campground to, wait for it, rescue a subject who had fallen from a hammock. I’m not criticizing the guy (it had to be a guy, right?) because this could sooo happen to me —I can hike the Great Range without incident and then cramp up in the middle of the night, trip over my boots and, arms pinwheeling for balance, desperately grab the nightstand for balance, scattering lamps, books and…

In 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo lauded the Empire State Trail, a 750-mile bike route from Manhattan to Albany and thence to either Buffalo or the Champlain Valley, depending on your objective. Most of the Empire State Trail deserves praise, but the Adirondack section is a farce. For 123 miles, it follows Route 22, a state highway with a 55-mph speed limit and, all too often, narrow, crumbling shoulders. My other complaint is that the trail ends at Rouses Point. Nothing against this picturesque village on Lake Champlain, but wouldn’t the majestic High Peaks be a more rewarding destination? I suggest we create a bike route worthy of the Empire State imprimatur: a mostly off-road route from the tip of Manhattan to the edge of the High Peaks Wilderness. It would…

Improving the flow Culverts are an omnipresent, important and often overlooked feature throughout the Adirondacks. When not sized or designed properly they can exacerbate flood risk, harm wildlife habitat and imperil roadways. Persistent problem spots regularly require the attention and money of local highway departments. During high water flows, undersized culverts can cause water to pool and spill over roads. In some cases, the force of the water spewing from the improperly sized culvert can chew away pavement and rip a road in half, presenting deadly hazards. Such culverts can become dangerous barriers to fish movement. Many hundreds of undersized culverts lie beneath the Adirondack landscape. But local officials, state agencies and nonprofit advocates have their eyes on drainage upgrades. New funding and cooperative efforts to prioritize improvements to the…