Adirondack Park:

The Adirondack Park, the largest protected area in the Eastern United States, was created by New York in 1892. This northern New York state park covers 6-million acres - about the size of Vermont. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation manages the 48 percent of the Park that is state land; this land, along with state land in the Catskill State Park, constitutes New York’s Forest Preserve, in which no timber harvesting is permitted. The Adirondack Park Agency regulates development on the 52% of the park that is private land; its land use and development plan has a tiered zoning system, with zoning classes ranging from hamlets to resource management lands. Hamlets and villages are interspersed among tracts of state wilderness and wild forest. About 130,000 people live year-round in the Adirondacks’ 105 towns and villages; many more are seasonal residents, and several million people visit the Park each year.

Hills, lakes, wetlands and streams dominate the western and southern Adirondacks; 46 “high peaks” cover its northeast. The Adirondacks’ economy relies heavily on recreation/tourism, much of which is oriented around seasonal activities. Summer attractions include water recreation such as fishing and boating in the Park’s many lakes and streams, as well as hiking and camping. Fall provides colorful foliage displays. Winter brings skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and snowshoeing. In the spring, as the days warm, sugar maple harvesting begins. Seasons and seasonal activities are important in the region’s economy and in defining its culture for residents and visitors alike.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Adirondack Program works to promote both healthy communities and wildlife conservation through an information-based and cooperative approach to research, community involvement and outreach. WCS has facilitated the Adirondack case study, working with CARA team members and local stakeholders to identify aspects of changes in climate and land use that are of most concern.

Based on stakeholder input, CARA is focusing on how climate change and changes in land use might affect the Park’s winter economy and its water resources. Research is exploring how projected changes in global climate might affect downhill skiing in the Park, as well as how such changes might affect the needs for winter road care and potential implications for ecosystems affected by the salt and sand used to treat road surfaces. Additional research is exploring how local decisions are made about public water supplies, and how such decisions might account explicitly for changes in climate or land use.

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