From 1990 until 2000,  park towns in the Adirondack region saw a steady increase in their inhabitants. Contrary to its prior growth, the population has slightly decreased, as shown in The Adirondack Park and Rural America: Economic and Population Trends 1970-2010. This blog will explore what this decline in population could mean for Adirondack Park in the long term.

Table 1: Population loss from 2000 to 2010 in 61 Adirondack Park Towns

The census in 2010 highlights how an influx of 12,822 people was not enough to match the population of the park towns during 2000. This population decline from 101,824 in 2000 to 100,606 in 2010 could only only possible if the birth rate was lower than the death rate, or the in-migration rate was lower than the out-migration rate. The following bar graph derived from table 1 helps in proving this theory.

Figure 2: Incoming vs. Outgoing population in park towns between 2000 and 2010

The census in 2010 indicates the loss of a total of 5947 population in the age group of 10 to 25. While this loss could have been for various reasons, one of the main take-away points is that the soon-to-be population in the reproductive age(late 20’s to early 30s) was leaving the park. At the same time, the recruitment of 2217 people between 25 to 50 was not enough to entirely offset this loss. This could have possibly been one of the reasons for further population loss between 2010-2020 in this region.

If the population follows a similar trend in the subsequent decades, it is undeniable that these park towns will continue to lose their population. A smaller population could be instrumental in avoiding over-exploitation of the diverse resources in Adirondack Park. The governing bodies can monitor their regulations better, and thus the wildlife of the Adirondack can sustainably thrive while generating an economy for the locals. That being said, the residents should still need to be accountable as illegitimate or “underground” activities are challenging to monitor in a park as big as the Adirondack.

In his book about the Adirondack Region, “Wandering Home,” Bill McKibben introduces countercultures such as creating “pure” wilderness – an environment in the absence of any human intervention- or the existence of organizations such as “Earth First!” to restore the nature of the Adirondack region. To what extent are such countercultures necessary if the Adirondack region loses its population without forceful interventions, as suggested by the 2010 census? Conclusively, the park towns/governing bodies have an essential question of contention: should more people be recruited to offset the population loss for sustaining the economy or recruit less for restoring wilderness?

Works Cited:

Long, James McMartin, and Peter Bauer. Rep. The Adirondack Park and Rural America: Economic and Population Trends 1970-2010. 2nd ed. Protect the Adirondacks!, Inc., 2019. 

Bauer, Peter. “Peter Bauer: More on Adirondack Park Population Myths .” The Adirondack Almanack, April 4, 2021. https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2013/04/peter-bauer-more-on-adirondack-park-population-myths.html. 

Watson, Stephanie. “Childbearing Age: What’s Ideal and What Are the Risks?” Healthline. Healthline Media, June 6, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/childbearing-age. 

McKibben, Bill. Wandering Home: A Long Walk across America’s Most Hopeful Landscape. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014.