This is the class blog for Middlebury College’s Fall 2021 First Year Seminar “Adirondack Park: Conversations on Conservation”. We are working together to grapple with complex issues within the Blue Line, while practicing approaching non-fiction writing as a form of literature. Please feel free to join the conversation, comment on our posts, and check in often to see how these students are progressing over the course of Fall 2021.

Course Overview

The Adirondack Park in northern New York is considered one of the world’s greatest experiments in conservation. Throughout its ~130 year history, this experiment has attempted to balance rigorous environmental protections for millions of wilderness acres with the economic realities of residents who live in the park. We will undertake an interdisciplinary approach to explore how park conservation is affected by climate change, rural economies, recreation, tourism, slow food, and political action. Building upon course readings and discussions, and direct engagement with the Adirondack landscape, stakeholders, and local industries, students will develop practical policy recommendations to address pressing conservation issues in the park.