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C O N S E R V A T I O N 2 ADVOCACY In 2011, ADK once again proved that a small advocacy program can have a significant impact on public policies concerning natural resources. This was evidenced as we continued to raise concerns about the potential environmental impacts of gas drilling using high-volume hydraulic fracturing, particularly in state forests and on other public lands. At ADK’s urging, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agreed to prohibit surface drilling on stateowned land. ADK also racked up significant legislative victories, including passage of a measure that authorizes DEC to regulate large water withdrawals. (Fracking requires millions of gallons of water for a single well.) Governor Cuomo also signed two pieces of legislation designed to protect Allegany State Park, which is vulnerable to drilling because the state does not own the subsurface rights to all of its 65,000 acres. One law will allow long-dormant subsurface claims to revert to the state. The second gives the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic article in magazine:Layout 1 10/2/12 5:57 PM Page 1 www.carlheilman.com HYDROFRACKING and the Marcellus Shale New York Pennsylvania Above: The gold area represents the area where Mercellus Shale can be found in both New York and Pennsylvania, totaling nearly 19,000 square miles, and holds a rich supply of natural gas, as By Paul Ertelt Neil Woodworth walking along a road to a gas drilling well in Allegheny National Forest, adjacent to Allegany State Park. COURTESY OF JAY WOPPERER New York Pennsylvania courtesy Carl Heilmann, II, www.carlheilman.com Top: Hydrofracking article. Above: Aerial photo showing NY/PA line. www.carlheilman.com Lows Lake Preservation strong regulatory authority to protect Allegany State Park from private drilling activities. Following deep cuts in environmental spending, Governor Cuomo and the Legislature left the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) essentially intact. The governor proposed eliminating the Tug Hill Commission, but ADK successfully lobbied lawmakers to restore the agency’s funding. An ADK lawsuit from several years ago paid off big time in 2011. ADK had joined a number of national organizations in challenging the Bush administration’s cap-andtrade program for mercury, a program that left the Adirondacks and Catskills vulnerable to mercury contamination. In March, more than two years after our final victory in federal court, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first-ever national standards for mercury and other toxic air pollutants from power plants. Wilderness Legal Defense Fund 2011 saw the establishment of the Wilderness Legal Defense Fund (WLDF). The fund was established to enable ADK to take legal action, if and when it was deemed necessary, to protect the wild lands and waters of the State of New York. Many years in the making, the Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of the Fund. A $1,000 challenge grant was issued by an anonymous donor and by the end of 2011, ADK had raised $10,000. Our deepest thanks goes to James Covey and the Niagara Frontier Chapter for spearheading this effort, and to all those who contributed to this Fund. In August, in response to a lawsuit by ADK and Protect the Adirondacks!, the state Supreme Court ruled that the bed and waters of Lows Lake are Wilderness. Justice Michael C. Lynch ruled that the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) erred in 2009 when it left the popular canoe route unclassified. He also affirmed that the lake had been included in a 1987 Wilderness classification. The ruling confirms that state-owned lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks are part of the Forest Preserve and must be managed accordingly. FIELD PROGRAMS Supervised Volunteer Trails Program In February, the Supervised Volunteer Trails Program traveled to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For one week, twenty volunteers worked on the Johnny Horn Trail in the Virgin Islands National Park, creating waterbars, widening drainage ditches, and re-grading 75 feet of eroded trail. Left: ADK St. John Volunteers (photo: John Schneider) Right: Volunteers on St. John trail project In late April, ADK hosted a Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) trail maintenance service project at the Loj. The Road Scholar crew spent the week completing maintenance on Heart Lake ski trails and mountain bike trails in the Wilmington Wild Forest. National Trails Day, held June 4 in the southwestern Adirondacks, was a success with over sixty volunteers attending. The High School/Teen Trail Crew, led by two capable ADK crew leaders, concentrated most of its efforts in the Johns Brook Valley in the High Peaks Wilderness and the West Canada Lakes Wilderness. The Supervised Volunteer Trails Program’s regular season ended in August, but a few additional projects were completed in September and October. In September, the Canadian group Randonée returned to the Adirondacks to build three pedestrian bridges in the Wilmington Wild Forest. In October, the annual Fall Trails Day (FTD) event was held in spite of cold temperatures and heavy rain, with a record 140 people participating. All told, over 320 volunteers participated in trail projects led by the Supervised Volunteer Trails Program in 2011.
C O N S E R V A T I O N ADK’s 2011 Professional Trail Crew 2011 Summit Stewards (L-R) Devon Reynolds, Gina Edwards, Zack Bell, Sam Brooks, Libby Nichols, Julia Goren, Coordinator Professional Trail Crew The ADK Professional Trail Crew had a long and lucrative season in 2011. Over twenty-one weeks, the sixteen-member Pro Crew earned over $250,000 from a trail contract with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Pro Crew worked in DEC Regions 5 and 6 in the Adirondacks and Regions 3 and 4 in the Catskills. In Region 5, the crew worked primarily on trails in the High Peaks Wilderness. Notable projects in the High Peaks included replacing footbridges on the Opalescent Trail and at the flume on the Northville-Placid Trail near Wanika Falls. In Region 6, the Pro Crew worked in the Five Ponds and Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness Areas and the Cranberry Lake and Horseshoe Lake Wild Forests. The Pro Crew spent fourteen weeks in the Catskills building new trails and repairing old favorites. In Region 3, the crew repaired the footbridge Chubb River flume bridge on NPT (Photo: Jim Mandle) over the Neversink River in the Slide Mountain Wilderness by adding 1,800 cubic feet of stone to one of the abutments. In the Shandaken Wild Forest, the Pro Crew constructed close to 3 miles of multi-use trail. In Region 4, the Pro Crew continued to add trail and structures to a new multi-use trail network in the Elm Ridge Wild Forest near Windham. And it would not be a complete season if the Pro Crew did not spend time repairing the popular Kaaterskill Falls Trail. The Pro Crew completed its regular season on August 16, but a fall crew worked in Region 7 through October to complete the DEC trail contract amendment. That crew installed rock steps and a scree rock barrier at the end of the popular trail leading to Tinker Falls in the Labrador Hollow Unique Area south of Syracuse. Adirondack High Peaks Summit Steward Program The 22nd season of the Summit Steward Program was a busy one. Winter and spring were filled with projects; sunny weather in June, July, and August brought record numbers of hikers to the summits; and Tropical Storm Irene brought dramatic changes to the High Peaks. ADKhighpeaks Foundation check presentation at Cascade Trailhead Thanks to a grant from the ADKhighpeaks Foundation, we were able to hire an additional steward, which allowed us to provide weekend coverage on Cascade from mid-June through August. During that time, we spoke to over 4,100 people in 30 days of coverage on Cascade. In 2010, we expanded the steward training to include a two-day Leave No Trace® course. In 2011, we added training in identifying alpine bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, etc.), graciously provided by Jerry Jenkins and Sue Williams of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the White Creek School. Stewards also were trained in Wilderness First Aid through Wilderness Medical Associates. Thanks in part to the increased staff, we were able to complete some important projects on Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Iroquois, and Gothics. Signs were replaced on Cascade, Skylight, Marcy, and Gothics. Typically, most of our project work is accomplished in the fall, but Tropical Storm Irene disrupted our plans. In the immediate aftermath, Summit Steward Coordinator Julia Goren and Summit Steward Zack Bell assisted the DEC by scouting trails to help assess storm damage. A subsequent assessment of alpine areas showed they had weathered the storm just fine. Public outreach continued to be an important part of the Summit Steward Program in 2011, both on and off the peaks. We conducted a number of outreach programs, including programs at the ADK Genesee Valley Chapter, the Alpine Club of Canada’s new members’ weekend, The Wild Center, the Adirondack Nature Conservancy’s annual meeting, the Johns Brook Lodge, and the High Peaks Information Center. On the peaks, the summit stewards made contact with 19,211 hikers. In terms of research, 2011 was a very productive year. We continued our participation in regional efforts such as Mountain Watch, assisted researchers, re-photographed all fifty of our photopoints, and continued work on the photographic analysis project funded by the Northern States Research Cooperative. Devon on Dix 3
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Staff Board of Directors

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