You are guilty and I know it. I don’t have to know where you come from or anything about you, we are all guilty of something, rule breaking. There have been times in everyone’s life where they have been under circumstances where they feel they can break rules imposed upon them. Although experiences are different, the reasoning for breaking those rules may be more similar than you think. People have very common thought processes when it comes to breaking the law, and this can be applied to all types of situations, including the Adirondacks.

Why are rules broken? Most people try to follow rules to the best of their ability. We are taught to obey laws. Supposedly, laws make things better for everyone and provide order to a world of chaos. The answer is simple and intuitive. They can be hard to follow. It may seem obvious but it is the truth, and there is evidence to back this claim up. What makes them so hard to follow? Complexity. 

Harvard Business Review did research on hygiene rules in Los Angeles County and came to this conclusion. They measured the complexity of rules in two ways. One way was how many components there were in the rule, and the other one was the number of connections for each rule, meaning how much they related to each other. You could have a rule that stood alone, or one that had connections to 5 other regulations.

The findings were that the harder and more complex rules were much more likely to be broken “Because organizations rely on routines for following rules, complex rules would require complex routines, which would be harder to execute reliably” (Lehman, Cooil, and Ramanujam, Harvard Business Review). This makes sense because everyone wants things to be easy, and when you have a complex set of rules, it creates a difficult process to follow them.

To put this into terms of the Adirondacks, we must think of what we have going for ourselves. The constitution is supposed to keep the land “forever wild”, yet we have all of these additions that create complexity within this rule. What does this lead us to? Rules will be broken. When you have additions to the constitution, it creates more complex processes that must be put into place to keep the integrity of a forever wild land. How can we hope to cure this problem? It is a great question, and there is no easy answer. Our instinct may be to cut back on the laws, but then what is the point of them in the first place? The issue of complex rules is not only an headache for the people who have to follow them, but for the enforcers of the laws themselves. We see cases where rules are being bent and people aren’t sure how to handle them. Sometimes, rules can be complex and vague, which makes for a lot of controversy. In my opinion, this is the case in the Adirondacks, the complex rules are a problem for everyone, and it is hard to see the direction that needs to be taken to ease this moshpit of problems.

Works Cited“Why Some Rules Are More Likely to Be Broken.” Harvard Business Review, 7 Oct. 2019, https://hbr.org/2019/10/why-some-rules-are-more-likely-to-be-broken.

Do you think hunting can be “justified” as an act of conservation? – Alex Smith’s words of “hunting to feel connected to nature,” got me questioning, “what is the role of hunting in the ecosystem?” Some say hunting is a critical wildlife management tool, some argue it is just a euphemism for killing for fun.

Regardless of its righteousness, it is shown in many cases that hunting does help manage the wildlife population and the balance of species in the ecosystem. However, it is also shown that it contributes to artificial manipulation of wildlife population, which disturbs the natural system, and such disturbances by hunting are encouraged by hunting-tied wildlife protection agencies. In order to retain hunting as a “rightful way of conservation”, finding a non-hunting-tied funding source for wildlife protection agencies is the key in determining the role of hunting in the conservation effort in near future.

So can hunting be as an act of conservation? First of all, conservation is defined as the act of preserving, guarding, and protecting biodiversity, the environment, and natural resources. According to (Nelson, 2021), hunting doesn’t fit the definition when only talking about a single animal, but it gets important in a broader sense of hunting particular species or protecting the vast diversity of organisms in the area. It acts as a funding resource for state wildlife agencies’ conservation funds. For instance, about 59% of funding, $3.3 billion, came from hunting and fishing-related activities (Rott, 2018).

Furthermore, hunting is successful in controlling prey species, preventing population explosions because of reduced predators. This allows to balance the populations across the ecosystem and impede over-grazing, for example. In fact, the Nature Conservancy considers the overabundance of deer in the eastern US to be the greatest threat to the forests – even more than climate change (Nelson, 2021)!

However, interestingly, or rather ironically, the major reason why the predator populations have been declining (that leads to an increase in herbivore populations) is again, because of hunting. Moreover, (In Defence of Animals, n.d.) argues that because state wildlife agencies are funded by hunters, their programs are in place to manipulate habitats and artificially bolster “game” species while ignoring “non-game” species. This then leads to unbalanced ecosystems by favoring some species for “conservation,” and ecological disruption as well as skewed population dynamics.

We should all carefully note how the conservation efforts are facing the dilemma today, of having to encourage hunting for sake of keeping the agencies funded. And how, to combat such a situation, another funding system that is not hunting-dependent needs be installed so that we can practice “real conservation” by support from people beyond hunters. Furthermore, we should have a system to support hunting to play its part – to control the population healthily, and not hunting down the favourable species, by liberating them from economic restrains. It is also important to learn about where and how the meat reaches our tables to rethink our relationship with wildlife and nature.

If anyone’s interested, I found a video on YouTube that contains scenes of
hunting down and dissecting a deer (see below) – although it’s in Japanese! But
the video will give you some hints and make you think about what hunting is.

Works Cited

“In Defence of Animals.” Hunting – the murderous business. n.d. https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/hunting/

Nelson, Rob. “Untamed Science.” 15 August 2021. https://untamedscience.com/blog/hunting-and-conservation/

Rott, Nathan. “National Public Radio.” 20 March 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/593001800/decline-in-hunters-threatens-how-u-s-pays-for-conservation

Wagner, Greg. “Nebraskaland.” 30 August 2021. http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2021/08/why-hunting-is-so-important/

Before coming to Vermont, I spent most of my life in cities. As a tradition, my parents made traveling plans every summer vacation. The Aurora lights in Iceland, the art galleries in Italy, and the cherry blossoms in Japan all made me think they were the most beautiful scenery. Until I came here, I was conquered by the beauty of Vermont, where represents a mixture of nature, serenity, and serendipity. If someone ask me to recommend a place to travel, I will definitely say Vermont. In fact, tourism is the major business in the Adirondacks. McKibben Bill mentioned in Wandering Home that raft trip was so exciting that he could even hear whoops and hollers of paying customers in the distance. Fort Ticonderoga Museum, as a famous museum demonstrating America’s profound history, also acts as a leader in the economic vitality of the surrounding Adirondack region. Picture 1 shows the outside appearance and the surrounding scenery of the museum. “I estimated that around 12.4 million people visit the Adirondacks every year,” reported by the Adirondack Council. Whatever intrigued by historical value, impressive entertainment activities, or outdoor adventure opportunities, tourism is the key financial source of the Adirondacks.

Tourism develops along with economic benefits. What sort of advantages tourism creates for different stakeholders in the Adirondacks? Let’s take a look at it.

Local hotels are better off. Once people come to the Adirondacks for a trip, it is common for them to live in commercial lodges for one or two nights. Take Fort Ticonderoga as an example. 54% of guests of Fort Ticonderoga spent at least one night in hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, rental cabins, etc (Brooke O’Neil). This generates an extensive amount of income for the commercial lodging industry. Without tourism, it would be very difficult for those lodging enterprises to make profits in such a rural region.

Small enterprises in the Adirondacks can not only make a living, but they can also create some profits. Local retailers are willing to diversify the food and produce some value-added food due to the rising tourism industry (Walentowicz). For example, some households make honey, maple products, cheese, wine, jams, jelly, and other condiments by hand, catching many customers’ attention because hand-made food is rare and precious for those coming from big cities such as New York, where manufacturing is the major method of production. Other enterprises, including recreational centers, also taste the fruit of tourism progression. Entertainment can take many forms. In the Adirondacks, hiking is the most popular outdoor activity, followed by canoeing and kayaking, skiing and snowboarding, and ever more popular cycling, as investigated by the Adirondack Committee. People can make money by constructing recreational infrastructure, innovating exciting outdoor activities, and getting money from selling tickets or rental fees.

Today, living in harmony with the wilderness is becoming increasingly popular and being regarded as a way to escape stressful workplace environments. Tourism and the following economic prospect of the Adirondack are promising, when humans’ demands for outdoor recreational activities are increasing.

Cited resources:

(1847) O’neil, B. The Adirondack Economic Impact Analysis.
<https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Magellan-FtTiconderoga_EconomicImpactAnalysis-071817-low-res.pdf>

McKibben, B. (2014) Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America’s Most Hopeful Landscape.

Walentowicz, A. (2014) Making the Grade: How We Classify Maple Syrup On New York’s Adirondack Coast. <https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2014/02/food-local-farms-even-winter.html>

Everyone remembers the childhood field trips and camps that took them into nature and allowed them to explore the world around them. But what if you grow up in a place where you are constantly surrounded by pristine landscapes and wilderness? Do you still need school programs that help you to appreciate and understand nature? Or is that ingrained in your mind from the day you were born? For this blog I wanted to explore the accessibility of outdoor engagement opportunities for kids in the Adirondacks. The region, like many rural areas, has a variety of summer opportunities that are designed to keep kids busy when school’s out, but what separates the Adirondacks is the outdoor engagement programs that are available within the curriculum of many public and private schools. 

The summer opportunities within the park are great, but programs like the Marie L. Haberl School Outreach Program forces kids to get the exposure they need without wasting any summer time and at no cost. The Haberl program is run by the Adirondack Mountain Club and is used by thirteen different schools in the Adirondacks. Schools participating in the program include the Keene Central School, Lake Placid School, and Long Lake Central School, which all have vast trails and mountains around them to explore. (Newell, 2020) Adirondack Mountain Club educators work both within the classroom and in the outdoors with 4th graders. The learning goals that the educators have line up with the science curriculum of New York State, and help students to learn material on the state science exam. (Newell, 2020) I think that this program is so impactful on nine to ten year olds because it is accessible to all, and because it is weaved into their science class. It requires no extra effort by parents and balances classroom learning and nature exploration.

The Northwood School offers a special opportunity for students to learn by putting an emphasis on outdoor learning, community engagement, and outdoor recreation. The Northwood School is a private boarding school right on Lake Placid. The school is not quite as accessible as the Haberl program, but for those with the resources, it offers high schooler kids a chance to get outdoors with a purpose. The school holds a mountain day every year (in which all students hike different peaks in the area) and offers a variety of classes on outdoor recreation and conservation that utilize the area for learning. (Northwood School, 2021)

Technology today makes it easier than ever for kids to spend their time indoors, on a screen, instead of outside–even if they live in the Adirondack Park. However, with active efforts by outdoor educators, especially in younger grades, kids will get excited to utilize their new knowledge and show it off to others. After researching this topic, it is apparent that efforts are made in the Adirondack Park to teach kids about the natural world, but it also led me to believe that the majority of the state lacks this aspect of education. If Adirondack schools have to make an extra effort to teach their students about the outdoors, are the kids outside the blue line missing out?

Literature Cited

Adirondack Mountain Club. (2020). Three Seasons At Heart Lake. https://www.adk.org/explore-adk/three-seasons-at-heart-lake/

Northwood School. (2021). Outdoor Recreation. https://www.northwoodschool.org/campus-life/outdoor-recreation

As Bill Mckibben remarked in his book, Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America’s Most Hopeful Landscape, “If we’re going to talk about the wilderness, we have to face the truth that it’s hard to separate out the natural and the artificial” (McKibben). When considering our current climate crisis and the steps we have taken to reach this critical point in our existence, it is crucial to question to what extent these federally and state-protected wilderness lands are truly “wild” anymore and whether humans permanently blurred the line between the natural and artificial; however, the vagueness of the term “wilderness” can be interpreted in multiple facets, leading to issues with adequate protection of what we consider “wilderness.”

Drought, hurricanes, severe flooding are among some examples of natural disasters that are becoming more common as a direct result of human activity in recent centuries. For example, according to the Adirondack Council founded in 1975, the Adirondacks has experienced some of the worst recent damage from acid rain, which not only parches its forests and suffocates fish populations, but has adverse effects on the people who call this lush area of New York home (Adirondack Council). The Adirondacks has seen fewer cases of acid rain in the past year, yet one must wonder how much its ecosystem was permanently scarred as a result (Foley). Figure 1 below shows the damage to the Adirondack wilderness as a result of acid rain (Grabar).

It is challenging to settle on whether our state and national parks are still “wild” without understanding the definition of “wilderness.” However, according to the WILD Foundation, the term “wilderness” is “subject to interpretation” as multiple frames of context are required and can either be used relatively loosely or precisely (WILD Foundation). Therefore, depending on whether you are reading state law or at the dinner table, this term can be used and interpreted in many ways. The WILD Foundation defines wilderness as: “The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet – those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure” (WILD Foundation).

When reading this definition, however, it is difficult to think of places in this country, and even around the world, that aren’t controlled or developed by humans. It is no question that we have control over our planet, whether it is physically altering its topography or provoking upticks in natural disasters and changes to the climate. Whether or not protected lands are truly “wild” is completely up to interpretation and personal perspective, yet in order to continue preserving these vital ecosystems, we must consider making the term “wilderness” more applicable. If we define this term more clearly, the way in which we connect with our planet will change for the better. 

Works Cited

Adirondack Council. “Acid Rain.” Adirondack Council, 2021, www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/acid-rain-86.html.

Foley, Martha, and Curt Stager. “Adirondack Lakes Recover from Acid Rain, but with an Altered Ecosystem.” NCPR, 10 Sept. 2020, www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/35553/20200910/adirondack-lakes-recover-from-acid-rain-but-with-an-altered-ecosystem.

Grabar, Henry. “50 Years After Its Discovery, Acid Rain Has Lessons for Climate Change.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 10 Sept. 2013, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-10/50-years-after-its-discovery-acid-rain-has-lessons-for-climate-change.

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

WILD Foundation. “Defining Wilderness – Wild Foundation.” WILD Foundation – Defending Earth’s Life-Saving Wilderness, 15 July 2020, wild.org/defining-wilderness/.

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. 

In the 1960s, one of America’s most treasured and symbolic animals was declared an endangered species. The Bald Eagle, made our nation’s national animal in its founding days, was nearing extinction leading up to the 1970s thanks to its consumption of DDT. However, when the pesticide was banned in 1972, bald eagles were given a new lease on life and in 1976 the New York State Bald Eagle Restoration Project began. Without this project, the bald eagle population would never have recovered in the northeast, while also serving as an example of how to rejuvenate a species population efficiently and with minimal human interference.

In 1976, the restoration project began. Through a breeding process called hacking, meaning hand-rearing to independence, nearly 200 nestling bald eagles were introduced to the ADK region from Alaska over a 13-year time span. After these 13 years, the project had reached its goal of establishing ten breeding pairs and was able to transition into preservation and protection-based goals instead. Ultimately, this project was an overwhelming success bringing the population from near extinction in 1970 to 173 breeding partners in 2010, which produced 244 baby eagles that year. Every year since 1989, around 10% more baby eagles are born than the year before. This healthy and consistent rate represents the overall success of this project in saving one of the most majestic animals in the world. This project’s success cannot be overlooked either, as it led to creating one of the two regions in the lower 48 states that have breeding resident bald eagle populations. In the map below, in the upper portion of New York, the red shading represents a population of breeding resident bald eagles that only three other states can claim. The map highlights the importance and success of the project in creating a lasting and thriving environment to resurrect the bald eagle population when it was at its worst and allow it to spread to states across the US.

This past summer at the end of August, I was able to witness the long-lasting effects of the project firsthand when I saw both my first and second ever bald eagles in the high peaks wilderness perched on two rocks in a lake (pictured below). Looking back at this, I find it fascinating that without the 1976 restoration project, I most likely would not yet have encountered a bald eagle in my lifetime. It is really awesome to be able to see the impact and success the project has had in the region, while also serving as an example of how to reintegrate a species back into the wilderness.

Sources:

“Bald Eagle.” Bald Eagle – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/74052.html.

“Bald Eagle Restoration in New York, 1976 to 1989.” Bald Eagle Restoration in New York, 1976 to 1989 – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9380.html.

“Adirondack Bald Eagles: Facts, Photos, and Where to Find Them.” Adirondack.net, https://www.adirondack.net/wildlife/bald-eagles/.

How can one place on earth be surrounded with so much beauty? The beautiful mountains, freshwater lakes, and large forests call many visitors into the Adirondacks region. The increasing beauty of the Adirondack Park, brings loads of visitors coming to visit this breathtaking destination. Yet, the increase in visitors has some negative effects on the nature within the park. Over the years, it is apparent that the Adirondack Park is being overused. The trail damage, erosion, vegetation damage, and polluted waters are all indicators that the Adirondacks are being overused. Since the Adirondacks is so beautiful, more people come to experience the beauty resulting in overuse of the park.

Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of visitors coming to the Adirondacks with an estimate of 12.4 million people visiting in 2017(Adirondack Council). To that note, there was an increase of 500,000 visitors from the previous year in 2016(Adirondack Council). At this rate, there could be a steady increase of visitors within the next 10 years which may cause a whirlwind of issues in the near future. Not only that, roughly 70% of visitors tend to visit the Adirondacks during May-October which causes an excessive amount of people visiting and overusing the park during a short span of time (Adirondack usa). This causes excessive stress and overuse to the nature within the park.

As expected, hiking within the Adirondacks is very popular. Since, there is a large number of people hiking everyday within the park, it results in a great deal of trail damage and erosion. Many of the trails within the park are unable to withstand the constant large amount of foot traffic each day. The Adirondack Council even noted that there are certain areas of the park that have at least 2.5 feet of soil loss because of the increased foot traffic. This causes soil erosion on the trails which results in the soil breaking down, and increasing the turbidity and sediment within nearby water(Adirondack Council). Obviously, this also harms the plants and wildlife within the area. For example, there are many species and vegetation within the Adirondacks that have the potential of becoming extinct due to the destruction of their environment. Additionally, trail widening is also occurring within the Adirondack Park. As more hikers venture off trail for the occasional pee break or lookout, it causes for the vegetation to be destroyed. As more vegetation is harmed, it pushes the trail to widen. For example, some parts of the Adirondacks have trail widening that is so severe that separate trails have emerged. Certain trails within the park have increased by 25 feet over the past 30 years (Adirondack Council). The increase in visitors is significantly harming the nature of the park. It is crucial that these issues are addressed in order to stop the destruction of these beautiful trails. 

As we can see, the overuse of the Adirondack Park is a significant issue. However, there is no single solution to fix these issues. There are many restoratives, clean-up crews, and protection measures being put in place to lessen the harm of the visitors. Yet, it is still a hard challenge to balance…is the increase of visitors enjoying the beauty of the park outweigh the destruction of the wildlife? One may scarily wonder how the increase in the overuse of the park will affect the wildlife of the Adirondacks. One can hope that as our world becomes more environmentally conscious visitors will enjoy the beautiful Adirondack Park while also protecting its nature. 

Citations:

“Adirondacks Face Crowding and Overuse Issues, Report Finds.” Adirondacks Face Crowding, Overuse Issues, spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2020/08/25/adirondacks-face-crowding–overuse-issues.

“Adirondacks, Usa.” Adirondacksusa.com.

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

says, Boreas, et al. “Problem Solved?” Adirondack Explorer, 7 Jan. 2021, www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/new-threats-bring-call-for-fresh-look-at-adirondack-lakes.

says, Donald G. Sloan, and Donald G. Sloan. “Assessment Finds High Peaks Trails Are in Poor Shape.” Adirondack Explorer, 8 Feb. 2021, www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/high-peaks-trails.

Clean water is a treasure in the United States.  Until it’s not. We often forget the value of clean water as a resource until that water has been ruined. Despite the vast number of protections bodies of water in the Adirondacks have, some are in better condition than others.  

The Village of Lake Placid, which many people fail to remember, has been the stage for two Olympic games, most recently in 1980.  Upon my first visit, I noticed how “old” everything felt.  For one thing, that sense of “oldness” was a good thing. The vibe allows for an immersion into 1980’s Adirondack culture.  On the other hand, much of the town infrastructure is in all but utter decay.  The roads are shot, the homes are teetering on 2×4’s and the school has not been renovated in decades.  The poor construction of the roads, parking lots, and sidewalks however has been especially consequential when observing local water quality. The combination of intense road salt application due to high winter road traffic and the construction of roads right on the edge of Mirror Lake have caused great detriment to Mirror Lake’s water quality.  Luckily, the Town of Lake Placid has worked on several game-changing infrastructure solutions to prevent further damage to the lake.

Porous pavement demonstration.

Mirror Lake on the other hand, gets direct runoff from a downward-sloping town full of old roads.  In the winter months, Lake Placid deals with nasty road ice and several feet of snow with intense road salt and sand application.  While this keeps roads safe for drivers, the effects of salt entering the water systems have such negative effects that many parks in the Western U.S like Yellowstone and Teton have banned road salt entirely. Water testing in Mirror Lake displays a salt level higher than 97% of other lakes in the Adirondacks.(Ausable River Association 2020 Water Quality Report)  Higher sodium and chloride levels, paired with higher levels of phosphorus increase the likelihood for algal bloom in the lake.  Luckily, in that regard, Mirror Lake is relatively nutrient low or oligotrophic, so algal bloom is unlikely.(Jennifer Graham, United States Geological Service)  The 2019 Mirror Lake water report states that “Significant long-term upward trends in conductivity, sodium, and chloride remain. Elevated bottom water chloride concentrations were documented and evidence exists that this is impeding the natural turnover of the lake in the spring. The disruption of this important physical process has the potential for the greatest negative effect on aquatic life. The highest chloride concentrations ever reported for the lake (129 mg/L) were observed in February and March.”(Ausable River Association)  At its highest level, the Chloride concentration nearly resembled brackish water. In terms of salinity however, the concentration remains at a lower safety.

If the Adirondacks do not ban the use of road salt however, several questions arise as to what can be done.  This summer, with New York state funding, Lake Placid has begun construction of a $15 million dollar infrastructure plan.  There are two main focuses that may help the salt situation in Mirror Lake.  The first is permeable and porous pavement. Porous pavement allows liquid runoff to enter the soil beneath the pavement instead of running in large amounts directly into reservoirs and lakes. By allowing the water to seep into the soil, the earth purifies much of the groundwater as it travels. This step is key in using the soil as a natural filtration system.  What little water makes it into lakes and streams ends up being significantly cleaner than direct runoff.  While most of the permeable pavement being added right now is in the form of sidewalks and parking lots, roads are expected to be replaced within the next few years as well.  The other half of the Lake Placid infrastructure plan involves new pipe and sewage systems under the road.  The old pipes were badly corroded and in need of replacement to prevent seepage.  Modern and larger plumbing systems are crucial in allowing for future development and overflow control. Using new and creative methods to limit water quality deterioration will be the future of human coexistence with our main sources of water and marine life. Such methods will keep the treasure of water an Adirondack token for decades to come.

“Hochul Touts Environmental, Economic Projects in the Adirondacks.” Adirondack Explorer, 24 Sept. 2021, https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/hochul-touts-lake-placid-stormwater-project. 

“Mirror Lake.” Ausable River Association, https://www.ausableriver.org/watershed/lakes/mirror-lake. 

“Porous Pavement.” Megamanual.geosyntec.com, https://megamanual.geosyntec.com/npsmanual/porouspavement.aspx.

Being a native Vermonter, it only seems right to investigate the village of Vermontville, located in Franklin County, New York (see image 1). Let’s plan a trip while we are at it! Vermontville, like my hometown in Fairfield, VT,  is small and rural. There aren’t the large tourist attractions people are usually drawn to, but this makes the trip more meaningful. Recreation can be found in the land, and is not restricted to man-made infrastructure. 

Starting with an idea of what to expect when we arrive in Vermontville, which is about two hours Northwest of Middlebury, there are approximately 934 Vermontvillers, inhabiting 148 square miles of land and 2.8 square miles of water area (Sperling, 2021). This hamlet of Franklin County, which was settled by Vermonters in the early 1800s has an elevation of approximately 1,743 feet (Eshelman, n.d.).

Image 1. See the map of Franklin County, NY. Vermontville is in the lower middle, along Route 3. 

If we venture over in the summer, we can find ample swimming, rafting, and fishing in Lyon Brook which runs through town. We may even partake in mountain biking or hiking on Kate Mountain nearby. Kate Mountain, named after the Kate family who built a home on its eastern side in 1829, has an elevation of 2,841 feet (Kate Mountain, n.d.). 

Later on, we will stop in at the Kate Mountain Farm to grab locally-raised pork sausage and vegetables (Caiazza, 2021). The modest one-mile Vermontville Recreation Walking Trail, is a great way to unwind at the end of the day (Adirondack Trails, 2020). After this, we’ll head to our campsite at Buck Pond Campground to roast dinner. A campsite at Buck Pond is $25 per night, and provides access not only to Buck Pond, but Lake Kushaqua (NY DEC, n.d). 

If we decide to visit Vermontville in the winter months, we’ll surely stay busy. With some of the best snowmobiling in the East on the Franklin Snowmobilers trails, or cross country skiing wherever we can find snow. Just outside of Vermontville, Mount Pisgah offers alpine skiing, and Loon Lake is great for ice fishing (Saranac Lake.Gov, n.d). 

Vermontville reminds me of my home in Fairfield, Vermont (see image 2). You may have noticed some of the activities shared above are located in nearby towns or cities. The quaint village does not have many of the large tourist attractions that usually pull visitors in, but they aren’t far. Other than fields, mountain views, and small shops, Vermontville is pretty quiet. I think there is value to this, because one can enjoy working around the land, not building through it. For example, if I wanted to go on a backcountry ski, I could step into my backyard and trudge through the woods to make my own trail, instead of gliding down a groomer trail at a resort. 

Image 2. The Fall foliage of Vermontville closely resembles how Vermont looks right now! 

“Adirondack Trails.” Adirondack.net, 2021, https://www.adirondack.net/towns/lake-placid-region/vermontville/.

“Buck Pond Campground & Day Use Area.” Buck Pond Campground & Day Use Area – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24457.html.

Caiazza, Aaron. “Kate Mountain Farm.” Adirondack Harvest, 2021, https://adirondackharvest.com/user/katemountainfarm/.

Eshelman, Teresa R. “Town of Franklin History.” Town Of Franklin Resource Guide, https://townoffranklin.com/history.html.

“Mount Pisgah Recreation Center.” Village of Saranac Lake: Mount Pisgah Recreation Center Is Maintained by the Village as a Ski Slope, Lodge, Mountain Biking Trails, and Event Venue. This Year-Round Recreation, https://www.saranaclakeny.gov/index.php?section=playing-mt-pisgah.

Sperling, Bert. “Vermontville, NY.” Zip 12989 (Vermontville, NY) People, Aug. 2021, https://www.bestplaces.net/people/zip-code/new%20york/vermontville/12989.

“Visit Loon Lake NY for Fishing, Boating, Dining & More.” LakeGeorge.com, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.lakegeorge.com/things-to-do/loon-lake/#:~:text=Fish%20in%20Loon%20Lake%20and,or%20from%20the%20public%20beach.