Adirondack Almanack E-mail Update

Time to embrace alternative energy sources, promote continued protection of loons

Gary Lee — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 22:19:42 +0000

Looks like we could be back to rain on our weekends again. We sure needed some, as it was about as dry as I’ve seen in some time. We did get just about an inch of rain overnight in the thunderstorms that rumbled through at about midnight. As I mentioned last week, it is so dry that the trees on Stillwater Mountain were dropping their leaves. This may save some of the fruit and nuts that are still on the trees and bushes. The beech nuts were just about done growing. The Blue Jays have been working them for a couple of weeks now as I see the empty burs in my driveway every day. Most of the weather this week was pulled in by Hurricane Erin as she inched up the east coastline. She was well out to sea, but very wide out of her eye. On Aug. 16, Erin became a category fi...

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Adirondack Hamlets to Huts acquires property in Wells, plans lodge for outdoor recreationists

Community News Reports — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 16:16:30 +0000

Wells, NY - Hidden treasures of the Southern Adirondacks will be introduced to a new generation of hikers, bikers, fly fishers, and paddlers who love to experience wilderness, now that plans are gathering speed to offer them a new overnight option near Griffin Gorge. Non-profit, Adirondack Hamlets to Huts, closed last week on the donation of 18 acres from the Adirondack Land Trust, and is fundraising for a building to provide recreational lodging and educational programs in place of a tumbledown hotel along Route 8 in Wells, across from the gorge. The non-profit’s goals include establishing a hu...

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The View

Guest Contributor — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:57:14 +0000

By Dan Kriesberg At the summit, my mind clears as life’s dust is swept out. I become open to the present. My mind on repeat Rethinking Redeciding Reworrying Finally settles Photo by Dan Kriesberg.

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The Adirondack Park Agency & New York’s Fiscal Crisis

Guest Contributor — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 22:47:25 +0000

By Stephen M. Erman The Aug. 15 edition of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise had two interesting articles, one on the Adirondack Park Agency’s release of reports on its proposed move to downtown Saranac Lake, and the other on NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s recent remarks at the Adirondack Community Foundation’s annual dinner in Lake Placid. The Comptroller’s remarks made me more certain that a new agency headquarters, if constructed, will be in Ray B...

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Outdoor Conditions (8/28): Dress in layers, practice campfire safety, share trails respectfully

NYS DEC — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:47:52 +0000

The following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for...

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Fly of the Week: The Prince Nymph

Guest Contributor — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:46:47 +0000

By Geoff Schaake Originally called the Forked Tail Nymph and tied with a body of black Ostrich herl, The Prince nymph was renamed after its creator Doug Prince when it appeared in “Buz” Buszek’s mail order catalog in the 1940s. One story I read claimed that Buz forgot what the nymph was called so named it after the California fly tyer. The new name stuck. Over the years, the standard for the body was changed to peacock herl and most versions feature a bead head for weight. The Prince Nymph is tied to imitate the larval stage or nymph of aquatic stoneflies. Stoneflies spend 1 to 3 years in this stage living among the rocks on the stream bottom so they are always...

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Annual Butterfly Festival, Labor Day events, more set for Aug. 29-31

Jamie Organski — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 20:45:08 +0000

Believe it or not, Labor Day weekend is just around the corner which means kids are on their way back to school, once bustling tourist town streets go quiet, and summer will turn over to fall next month. Those looking to take a break from back to school plans or those seeking to add one or two more events to their schedules this weekend are in luck, as many Adirondack-area establishments have an eclectic lineup of activities planned. From Labor Day celebrations to Paul Smith's VIC's annual Buttery Festival (Monarch Festival) to a nature walk presented by the Adirondack Interpretive Center, to outdoor concerts, Wilmington's Whiteface Mountain Bike Festival, a historical presentation, a dance performance, a clown improv workshop, a family-friendly cardboard sled race presented by Pla...

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Expansion of Sunset Bay RV Resort in Mayfield among projects up for comment

Community News Reports — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:12:40 +0000

Ray Brook, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comment on projects currently under review. The public is encouraged to go online to learn more about each public comment opportunity and to submit comments electronically.

At present, the following projects are available for comment online:

Town of Hague: Four-lot subdivision of the 13.72±-acre Tax Map Parcel 60.17-1-22, to create three lots ranging in ...

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76-year-old boater found dead in Saranac Lake after multi-agency search

NYS DEC — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:16:17 +0000

Town of Harrietstown Franklin County Water Recovery: On Aug. 22 at 6:10 p.m., a caller reported that a boater had jumped into the water from a pontoon boat in Lower Saranac Lake near Eagle Island and hadn’t been seen since. Six Forest Rangers, four Environmental Conservation Police Officers, a New York State Police (NYSP) dive team, and Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake fire departments joined the search effort. At 12:30 a.m., searchers cleared for the night. The following morning, the NYSP dive team started using sonar. Eight Forest Rangers continued searching the shore and patrolling in boats to assist the NYSP dive team. On Aug. 24 at 11:02 a.m., NYSP divers located the 76-year-old deceased. Th...

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A call for clear path forward for ADK’s Cascade Welcome Center

Guest Contributor — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:58:26 +0000

I am a long-time supporter and user of the Adirondack Mountain Club’s (ADK) Cascade and related facilities, and it pains me to see them shuttered or challenged in their long-term viability. The recent temporary closure of the Cascade Welcome Center, and the broader questions about how ADK allocates its resources, deserve a candid, fact-based discussion. Key concerns I would like to see addressed: Resource allocation and accountability: The Adirondack Explorer article notes a “set of real and fundamental facility needs” a...

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