Most residents of the United States — and even many residents of the Northeast — know very little about the history of the Adirondacks region. Specifically, the Native Americans that originally settled the Adirondacks have received minimal recognition for their long history prior to the creation of the United States. Over the 800 years, the Adirondack natives have been here, the Europeans that have come into the region have done nothing but destroy the land that they once lived freely on. However, there have been recent efforts to commemorate their existence and recognize that this population resided in the area. 

Europeans “discovering” America had a significant and negative impact on both Native American culture and the natural resources critical to the Native American tribes’ way of life. A prime example of the destruction that Europeans wreaked in this region was the fur trade. During the colonial era, Europeans and Native Americans fought over beavers, which were very profitable due to the usage of their fur in various products. Eventually, this contributed to not only the destruction of the relationship between the Europeans and Native Americans but also forever changed the natural landscape of the Adirondacks. The conflict obliterated the beaver population and considerably altered key features of the region. The region underwent significant modifications — particularly to its waterways — because of the absence of beavers, which are second only to humans in their ability to modify their environment. 

In addition, throughout the conflict, there were numerous instances of the Europeans building forts and then simply abandoning them to decay. After abandoning these forts, they would often construct new ones nearby, further altering the land. The image below depicts Fort Ticonderoga, the most famous of these forts. 

Recently, there has been an increased effort to show respect and support for the Native American tribes that first settled this land. One example of this is an exhibit built at The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake that highlights the Native American tribes that settled in the Adirondacks. “‘We have not tackled the story of Native Americans in the Adirondacks in the past,’ said David Kahn, executive director of The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.” The museum is hoping that this exhibit will set the record straight, and be a “wake-up moment” for people that have the misperception that the Adirondacks weren’t Mohawk and Abenaki territory. The image below is from the new exhibit at the museum. Natasha Smoke Santiago, a Mohawk who is an artist-in-residence at the museum, said that it made her happy “that they wanted to genuinely include us in the exhibit—and that they picked really beautiful work.” 

Although examples such as the exhibit represent a step in the right direction, they are clearly not sufficient. The long history of Native Americans in the Adirondacks deserves more recognition, particularly given its enduring impact on our natural landscape and our political system. 

“Adirondacks: Europeans and American Colonists (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/adirondacks-europeans-and-american-colonists.htm.

Braine, Theresa. “Adirondack Museum Dispels Myths with Native Exhibit.” Indian Country Today, Indian Country Today, 13 July 2017, indiancountrytoday.com/archive/adirondack-museum-native-history.

“Facts about Beavers in the Adirondacks.” Adirondack.net, www.adirondack.net/wildlife/beavers/.

“Fort Ticonderoga.” Fort Ticonderoga | Official Adirondack Region Website, visitadirondacks.com/attractions/fort-ticonderoga.

The construction of new territories and buildings within the Adirondack region must always be controversial. With the regulations that exist and the strict rules that are laid out in the New York State Constitution, there is little to no room for building much industry-altering architecture. If a big change is to be made in terms of a new project in the Adirondacks, everyone is obviously going to have their own opinion on the matter. Some may support renovations and new constructions that bring more people into the area, and some will oppose this, saying that it disobeys the constitution, destroying the “forever wild” clause. However, there are things that have been made part of the region that relate to the history of the Park, one of those things being the Olympic Village. The Olympic Village has been a staple to this region ever since it was built in 1932, and when the games were held there in 1980, it only evolved the value that this special place held within the park. 

This is an image of the plan for the new Olympic Facilities in Lake Placid. 

Recently, there have been developments to reconstruct the old Olympic Center and expand it into the heights of the high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Back in April of 2021, the Olympic Regional Development Authority Board of Directors approved a more than $32.9 million renovation of the Olympic Center Link Building. This building connects the 1932 and 1980 ice rinks together on a section of Main Street. There will be a few other renovations to the Olympic Park that total over 67 million dollars. “This is going to make it a destination with premier visitor space,” Olympic Regional Development Authority CEO Michael Pratt said. “This is going to be a must-visit location.”

This being such a large change in the history of the park will definitely stir up some of the residents, some of which will be upset that they are taking the old history out of the land, just as they did with the natural functions of the town when they built the village back in 1932. In fact, in the most recent chapter of Phillip Terrie’s Contested Terrain, there was a section in chapter 7 regarding the building of the original Olympic facilities. There was a mentioning of the bobsled course and the construction of that within an area with forest. The response of the court as to whether or not the course could be built there was a hard no because the result of this would have been the clearing of many trees, violating the clause saying that this would drive the wilderness out of the area.  

I am excited to see what the new construction of the Olympic village brings to the region, and hopefully, it will bring more excitement than regret and grief.

Izzo, Elizabeth. “Https://Www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/News/Local-News/2021/04/Olympic-Center-Link-Building-to-Be-Redone/.” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, 24 Apr. 2021. 

Hound hunting, a practice that Alex Smith briefly touched on, still exists in a few states, including Vermont although it has been outlawed in many states in America. I am not the biggest supporter of this practice, and I believe that this method of hunting should be banned in all 50 states. There are many reasons that these states have ruled to outlaw it, as it is harmful to the hounds that are trained to hunt, it disrupts the population of bears, and the dogs are very very hard to tame.

The hounds that are often used in this practice are typically not treated well in any manner. Since hunters typically rely on hunting for either food or income, the hounds are treated with very little mercy, and often rely on their performance to live and be protected by an owner. They are frequently dumped at municipal animal shelters or left in the woods if they do not perform adequately. Quarrels with the other species (in this case hounds and bears) can end in injuries or death to the other species. In turn, hounds mauled by bears can suffer broken bones, punctured lungs, or other serious injuries. The image below depicts how the hounds are typically transported, in a manner that is not very safe, nor comfortable for the animals. It is relatively cruel to the animals to be moved to their destinations in this enclosed manner.

The bears are also affected differently with this style of hunting in comparison to traditional ways of hunting bears. Often, the bears are chased before periods of hibernation. If they are chased for prolonged periods, they can lose a lot of the extra fat they store to keep them warm during their lengthy hibernation. They can experience severe physical stress due to the loss of their fat layer and additionally, overheated bears can die and pregnant bears can lose embryos.

Hound hunting has been an extremely hot topic in the news lately. There has been a lot of controversy around this issue after Morgan Gold posted a video on TikTok of Butch Spear, president of the Vermont Bearhound Association, approaching Gold in his driveway and asking for permission to retrieve his hounds from Gold’s property. The dogs wound up there in pursuit of a bear. Gold reported on the incident after it had taken place, “They couldn’t call their dogs off my property. They had to physically pull the dogs away from the tree before they could settle them down and get them away from the bear.” The kicker is here, Gold did not want these hounds on his property and Spear could not control them to not chase the bear onto Gold’s property, thus proving that it is very hard to control and contain the dogs when they are out in the field doing what they are told to do. Due to these three reasons, in my opinion, hounding should be outlawed in the fifty states.

“Facts about Bear Hounding.” The Humane Society of the United States, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/facts-about-bear-hounding.
Grace Benninghoff Sep 12 2021September 12, 2021, et al. “Viral Video Draws Attention to Debate over Hound Hunting Laws in Vermont.” VTDigger, 13 Sept. 2021, https://vtdigger.org/2021/09/12/viral-video-draws-attention-to-debate-over-hound-hunting-laws-in-vermont/.

Often when people think about the Adirondacks, their minds may dart to the beautiful mountains and valleys that this region possesses. To the shock of many, this region has just as many rivers, lakes, and streams as it does charming peaks. Ranging from microscopic parasites to gargantuan snappers, these places are home to many creatures important to the fishing community in the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks and surrounding areas are fortunate to have fantastic freshwater fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, perch, walleye, and other popular warm-water species. What many people don’t seem to realize is that fishing goes hand in hand with hunting. Many people participate in these two activities, however, there is a bad stigma around hunting whereas many people do not have a strong opinion on fishing. Fishing is productive for the environment if done in the correct manner, it funds government environmental protection, and it weeds out invasive species in the Adirondacks. 

Fishing is good for the environment in the same ways that hunting is productive for the environment in the way that if done correctly, it maintains ecosystems and does not destroy them. Overfishing damages ecosystems and this is not the type of fishing we see present in the Adirondack Region. There are many regulations enacted by the state of New York that prevents fishing in unhealthy ways in freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers. 

The investment into fishing in the Adirondacks also indirectly contributes to environmental protection as well. Every dollar that is spent purchasing a fishing license, as well as a hunting license, ​​goes towards lake and river surveys, stream habitat improvements, educational programs, infrastructure, conservation officer budgets, and outreach programs. By fishing safely and legally, people are supporting the environment by donating to the cause of saving and protecting the environments they fish in. 

This is an image of a fishing operation, targeting all Asian Clams invading the waters of Lake George.

The weeding out of invasive species in the Adirondack region isn’t as high of a priority as it is in other areas around the world. Nonetheless, there are efforts to keep the water pristine and how it was intended to be before varieties of species started to overrun the area. One specific effort that has been launched was the removal of a species of Asian Clam that has been clouding the waters of Lake George. The image above depicts workers loading up a boat with materials to help cover the floor of Lake George where these clams are residing. This is an example of productive fishing and protecting the environment from species that do not belong in the Adirondacks. There is enough destruction and alteration of this region already, the waters are areas that have been minimally affected and I’m sure that people would like to keep them this way.

Fish Guide – New York State Department of Environmental … https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/fishguide.pdf. 

Mercer, Ryan. “New York’s Adirondack Park: Why There Is Growing Concern over Invasive Species in Lakes, Rivers.” The Burlington Free Press, Burlington Free Press, 4 Sept. 2019, https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2019/09/03/lakes-rivers-new-yorks-adirondack-park-face-stress-invasive-species-hitch-boat-rides/2196599001/.

Let’s take a look back at the hurricane that carved a path through the Adirondack Park. It wreaked havoc among rivers, lakes, infrastructure, and many homes in this region. In fact, it caused approximately 25 million dollars worth of damage in the park. This was most definitely a natural disaster that sent people into undeniably unpleasant circumstances in just one day. I read something incredible about the Ausable River; normally, it is a rustic river popular with anglers, it swelled over eleven feet above the categorized flood stage, as Tropical Storm Irene swept past the eastern slopes of the Adirondacks. There was an incredible number of accounts of basements being flooded, roofs of houses destroyed, banks flooded, and roads washed away. Following the damage done by the storm, several families had to be rescued by boats from their homes due to the amount of water surrounding their houses. Irene also left her mark on some of the park’s beautiful landscape. For weeks after the storm, many of the most popular trails in the High Peaks and Dix Wilderness Areas were closed, especially the waterways, which took a very large hit from the disaster. The hurricane undoubtedly altered the composition of the Adirondack park for the future to come. This storm rivaled the Big Blowdown in 1950 and the Ice Storm of 1998, both of which devastated the area and mirrored the volume of damage that was done by Hurricane Irene. This is an image from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Irene, tearing down buildings and flooding homes all over the area.

Neighbors were side by side, piling up wood and debris alongside the highway patrol and the Department of Transportation. The camaraderie among the communities of people that wanted to rebuild their towns together brought them all much closer together. Within the first two days of the repairs taking place in the region, “At McDonough’s Valley Hardware, more than 100 people turned up to scrub floors and shelves,” according to the post-storm report given by the Adirondack Life Magazine. The number of volunteers continued to climb day by day. 

Reminiscing about hurricane Irene back at home in Connecticut, where I am from, this hurricane devastated our area as well. There were trees down everywhere, and the power was out in my house for almost over a week. I remember the things that people in my town did to repair the town. Similar to the people in the Adirondack region, there were people up and about early in the morning cleaning up the streets and repairing other people’s houses that had been destroyed in the passing of the hurricane. I remember waking up one morning, and the basement of my house had accumulated approximately three inches of rainwater the previous night, while a tree that had just fallen down was lying perpendicular across the roof. This hurricane caused a devastating amount of damage, not just in the Adirondacks, and also put many people in danger around the northeast. Hurricane Irene is seen as a major disaster in the Adirondacks, and the after-effects are still being felt.

Hurricane Irene Insists, “Stay out of the Adirondack … https://adirondacklifestyle.net/2011/08/hurricane-irene-insists-stay-out-of-the-adirondack-backcountry-this-weekend/.

Mann, Brian. Adirondack Life Article – after the Storm – Adirondack Life, http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2012/08/28/after-the-storm/.

New York is one of the most popular destinations in the country for travelers. The state ranks fifth among all American states by the number of annual tourist visits. In 2018, New York’s revenue from tourist visits reached almost $72 billion, up over 6% from the prior year. This was approximately 35% above New York’s pre-recession all-time high.

The tourism industry represents a substantial share of New York’s economy. Although Adirondack’s tourism represents only a small amount of total New York tourism— which is driven in large part by New York City— it is approximately a $1.5 billion industry that is responsible for supporting over 21,000 jobs. Secondly, homeowners (another form of tourism) also contribute to the economic activity in the region, totaling over $250 million. 

The size of the industry in the Adirondacks, which is less heavily developed than other parts of the state, means that the Adirondacks are more heavily dependent on tourism than other regions. As the chart suggests, tourism represents a greater share of the Adirondack region’s economy than that of other regions. In total, tourism comprises approximately 18.5% of the Adirondack region’s economy. 

Given tourism’s central role within the regional economy, it is critical to understand the other impacts this industry has on the region. There are many incidental benefits, aside from revenue, associated with the tourism industry. Most important among these benefits is the unique opportunity in this region for outdoor recreation. Particularly over the last two years, the park has allowed people to safely access a place they can enjoy at low risk of Covid exposure. Over this period, the tourism industry managed to achieve the second-lowest transmission rates in New York despite experiencing a significant increase in the number of people that visited the park. 

Although the tourism industry has created many advantages for the Adirondack region, it has a downside as well. Originally, the region’s population consisted of farmers and people who worked the land in order to live. The shift towards tourism, and the fact that 18% of the population in this region now work in the tourism industry, means that some element of the history of the region has been lost. In addition, tourism has had a negative impact on the environment in the Adirondacks region. The region’s tourism infrastructure is simply not built to support the current volume of tourism. However, given the importance of tourism to the local economy, this is a difficult problem to address. The problem cannot be ignored though because the vast size and growth of tourism in the Adirondacks could put the region’s natural resources at risk of permanent deterioration.  

Council, Adirondack. “Overuse in the Adirondack Park.” Adirondack Council, https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/overuse-in-the-adirondack-park-298.html.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York – Roostadk.com. https://www.roostadk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NYS-Tourism-Impact-2018-Adirondacks.pdf.

Explorer, Tim Rowland Adirondack. “How an Adirondack Tourist Destination Held off the Pandemic.” Times Union, Times Union, 19 July 2021, https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/How-a-tourist-destination-held-off-the-pandemic-16320438.php. 

“How the Adirondacks Fared in New York’s Budget.” Spectrumlocalnews.com, https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2021/04/16/how-the-adirondacks-fared-in-new-york-s-budget.

“Report: Adirondack Tourist Spending Up.” Report: Adirondack Tourist Spending up | News, Sports, Jobs – Adirondack Daily Enterprise, https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2019/09/report-adirondack-tourist-spending-up/.

Most residents of the United States — and even many residents of the Northeast — know very little about the history of the Adirondacks region. Specifically, the Native Americans that originally settled the Adirondacks have received minimal recognition for their long history prior to the creation of the United States. The Adirondack region represented a large portion of what was called the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy. This confederacy allowed various groups of Native Americans to coexist effectively for over 800 years. Historians view some of the democratic political elements of the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy as a significant influence on the framers of the United States Constitution.

Europeans “discovering” America had a significant and negative impact on both Native American culture and the natural resources critical to the Native American tribes’ way of life. A prime example of the destruction that Europeans wreaked in this region was the fur trade. During the colonial era, Europeans and Native Americans fought over beavers, which were very profitable due to the usage of their fur in various products. Eventually, this contributed to not only the destruction of the relationship between the Europeans and Native Americans, but it also forever changed the natural landscape of the Adirondacks. The conflict obliterated the beaver population and considerably altered key features of the region. The region underwent significant modifications — particularly to its waterways — because of the absence of beavers, which are second only to humans in their ability to modify their environment. 

In addition, throughout the conflict, there were numerous instances of the Europeans building forts and then simply abandoning them to decay. After abandoning these forts, they would often construct new ones nearby, further altering the land. The image below depicts Fort Ticonderoga, the most famous of these forts.

Recently, there has been an increased effort to show respect and support for the Native American tribes that first settled this land. One example of this is an exhibit built at The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake that highlights the Native American tribes that settled in the Adirondacks. “‘We have not tackled the story of Native Americans in the Adirondacks in the past,’ said David Kahn, executive director of The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.” The museum is hoping that this exhibit will set the record straight, and be a “wake-up moment” for people that have the misperception that the Adirondacks weren’t Mohawk and Abenaki territory. The image below is from the new exhibit at the museum. Natasha Smoke Santiago, a Mohawk who is an artist-in-residence at the museum, said that it made her happy “that they wanted to genuinely include us in the exhibit—and that they picked really beautiful work.”

 

Although examples such as the exhibit represent a step in the right direction, they are clearly not sufficient. The long history of Native Americans in the Adirondacks deserves more recognition, particularly given its enduring impact on our natural landscape and our political system. Perhaps additional educational efforts can be undertaken through American history courses in our schools.

“Adirondacks: Europeans and American Colonists (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/adirondacks-europeans-and-american-colonists.htm.

Braine, Theresa. “Adirondack Museum Dispels Myths with Native Exhibit.” Indian Country Today, Indian Country Today, 13 July 2017, indiancountrytoday.com/archive/adirondack-museum-native-history.

“Facts about Beavers in the Adirondacks.” Adirondack.net, www.adirondack.net/wildlife/beavers/.

“Fort Ticonderoga.” Fort Ticonderoga | Official Adirondack Region Website, visitadirondacks.com/attractions/fort-ticonderoga.

Schenawolf, Harry. “Field Fortifications & Forts in the American Revolution.” Revolutionary War Journal, 25 June 2019, www.revolutionarywarjournal.com/field-fortifications-forts-in-the-american-revolution/.“Six Nations, First People.” Saranac Lake, Adirondacks, New York, 24 Aug. 2021, www.saranaclake.com/story/2018/12/six-nations-first-people.

There has been a long term surge of visitors to the Adirondack region, with the most recent spike due in part to interest in outdoor activities during the pandemic. Although this surge presents economic opportunities for local business owners, it also creates the risk of overuse of natural resources. Overuse occurs in nature when an area cannot sustain the amount of use during a particular time period, often leading to destruction of natural resources in that area. 

The Adirondacks house over 130,000 permanent residents, along with 200,000 seasonal residents. In the past, the park has welcomed an average of approximately 12 million visitors per year; however, this number has skyrocketed in recent years (Adirondack Council). In the past few years, visitor numbers have leapt to more than 250% of the capacity of the park (NYLCV).These new visitors are visiting the parks for a range of activities, with the majority choosing to hike the parks’ beautiful peaks. The chart below displays the increase in visitors among three popular Adirondack hiking trails. In the past 15 years, the number of registered hikers at the Cascade Mountain trail has increased by triple the previous amount (ADK Council).

The volume of people hiking these trails has climbed significantly as of recently. 

An increasing number of hikers on the mountains translates to a larger impact on the trails, thus damaging the wildlife and vegetation of the Adirondacks. In a study conducted in 2018 by the Adirondack Council, Adirondack Park conservationists and trail professionals found that over 130 miles of trails needed significant maintenance, or even reconstruction. These trails have become widened by the hikers that have made the conscious decision to step off of the trail to avoid obstacles such as  plants, roots, and puddles. In the past 30 years, some trails within the Adirondack region have expanded over 25 feet in width, or by three times their original size (Protect The Adirondacks).

The Adirondack Mountains are also a haven for endangered species, such as fragile alpine plants (Adirondack Council). Due to the large increase in the volume of hikers in the Adirondacks, there is now another obstacle for these endangered species to overcome. Even before the spike in the volume of hikers, some endangered species were already struggling with the impacts of climate change, particularly during the winter. The additional pressures created by hikers may prove to be the “straw that broke the camel’s back” in terms of these species’ ability to survive. 

In order to preserve the shape of these trails and the health of the endangered and precious species residing in the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Council preaches that people follow “Leave No Trace” principles. These ideas are all behavior that one should exemplify when hiking in the wild, in order to prevent damaging nature. This could help slow down the effects from the recent overcrowding and overuse the Adirondacks have been experiencing. 

“About the Adirondack Park.” Adirondack Council,

www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/the-adirondack-park-19.html.

“Adirondack Park Environmental Protection and Community Vitality Priorities for New

Governor Kathy Hochul.” Protect the Adirondacks!, 24 Aug. 2021,

www.protectadks.org/adirondack-park-priorities-for-governor-kathy-hochul/.

Council, Adirondack. “Overuse in the Adirondack Park.” Adirondack Council,

www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/overuse-in-the-adirondack-park-298.html.

“Green Group: High Peaks Trails ‘Need Major Work’.” Green Group: High Peaks Trails ‘Need

Major Work’ | News, Sports, Jobs – Lake Placid News, 18 Sept. 2018,

www.lakeplacidnews.com/news/local-news/2018/09/28/green-group-high-peaks-trails-n

d-major-work/.

“Leave No Trace Principles.” Leave No Trace Principles | REI Co-Op,

www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html.

Reisman, Nick. “Adirondacks Face Crowding and Overuse Issues, Report Finds.” Adirondacks

Face Crowding, Overuse Issues, 25 Aug. 2020, 5:07,

spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2020/08/25/adirondacks-face

crowding–overuse-issues.

Staff, ADK. “Trail Work Update: Avalanche Lake: Adirondack Mountain Club.” Adirondack

Mountain Club | Just Another WordPress Site, 10 Aug. 2021,

www.adk.org/trail-work-update-avalanche-colden-lakes/.

Staff, WGRZ. “Nys Examines Trail Overuse, Improved Hiker Safety in Adirondacks.”

Wgrz.com, 14 Mar. 2021,

www.wgrz.com/article/sports/outdoors/new-york-state-examines-trail-overuse-improved

hiker-safety-in-adirondacks/71-b1c8c05a-90ce-4b12-aeea-3efe92e0cf2c.