Leaders in the
Environmental Movement
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Verplanck Colvin Superintendent of New York State Land Survey An early advocate for the preservation of the Adirondacks, Verplanck Colvin became a force behind passage of the Forever Wild statute of 1885 and the establishment of the Park itself in 1892 "Unless the region be preserved essentially in its present wilderness condition, the ruthless burning and destruction of the forest will slowly, year after year, creep onward . . . and vast areas of naked rock, arid sand, and gravel will alone remain to receive the bounty of the clouds and be unable to retain it."
--from Adirondack Explorations: Nature Writings of Verplanck Colvin by Paul Schaefer
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David McLure Chairman of the committee which authored the State's "forever wild" clause in 1894. At the 1894 Constitutional Convention in Albany, the "Forever Wild" Amendment was proposed by David McClure. David McClure, a New York City resident worked to create a three-million-acre "forever wild" forest preserve in the Adirondacks and Catskills. This visionary accomplishment was the inspiration for those who drafted the 1964 Wilderness Act establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System. |
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Howard Zahniser at Hanging Spear Falls on the Opalescent River, August 1946
photo by Paul Schaefer
... it was here in New York State, down in Albany in 1953, that Zahnie, as some of you knew my father, urged the Joint Legislative Committee on Natural Resources that "We must not only protect the wilderness from commercial exploitation. We must also see that we do not ourselves destroy its wilderness character in our own management programs. We must remember always that the essential quality of the wilderness is its wildness." ... My father called the Forest Preserve "a brilliant and noble concept."
from: Wilderness Management: The Real Work of Wilderness Preservation Today
A talk by Ed Zahniser at "A Wilderness Roundtable II", Saturday, September 27, 1997 |
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Paul Schaefer opens the doors to the Library and Legislative Headquarters of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks at 897 St. David's Lane, Niskayuna, circa 1963. Paul had just transported the 62 year archival library of the organization from New York City to Niskayuna. The Board of Trustees stated in the 1963 annual report: "A study of the history of the Forest Preserve makes it clear that we may expect attacks on the Forest Preserve by commercial interests from time to time. It is our intention to be prepared for such attacks at all times; if we are, many otherwise serious issues can be discouraged before they have made too much headway. To maintain such preparedness, last year our Trustees approved the establishment of a Legislative Office near the State Capitol. This office has been activated with Vice President Paul Schaefer in charge." Paul Schaefer contacted the media and this photograph and a story were printed in the newspapers. |
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Dedication of State's First Environmental Fund in 1993 Association Vice President Paul Schaefer speaking at the dedication of the State's first dedicated environmental fund in 1993. Listening are Senator Ron Stafford, and former Governor Mario Cuomo. Schaefer involved himself and the Association in every Adirondack conservation battle from 1931 until his death in 1996. |
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Meeting in Adirondack Room For 60 years, organizations have met in the Adirondack Room at Paul Schaefer House in Niskayuna, NY to influence policies for the Forest Preserve. |
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Fireplace in the Adirondack Room at Paul Schaefer House, Niskayuna, NY, in the '60s |