A Timeline of Efforts
to Protect the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve
researched by Linda Champagne
. . . The lands constituting the forest preserve . shall be forever kept as wild forest lands
- 1901 - Association organized to prevent New York State from lumbering 100,000 acres of virgin forest near Raquette Lake.
- 1902 - Adopted Forever Wild State Constitutional Covenant as organization's "Magna Carte," and notified the state Legislature it would fight any attempt to modify Forever Wild.
- 1903 - Successfully fought Lewis Water Storage (land grant) bill.
- 1905 - Finished investigation of timber thefts in Forest Preserve and caused resignation of official implicated.
- 1907 - Successfully fought bill to dam Adirondack rivers.
- 1908 - Campaigned to prevent destruction of Forest Preserve by forest fires.
- 1913 - Revised a penalties and top-lopping law to reduce fire hazards caused by lumbermen.
- 1916 - Successfully advocated a $7.5 million bond issue for the Forest Preserve.
- 1918 - Initiated a private donor campaign to acquire Mount Marcy, Mount MacKenzie and Saddleback Mountain for the Forest Preserve.
- 1923 - Caused the defeat of Salmon River Reservoir which threatened extensive deer winter yarding grounds and excellent trout waters.
- 1930 - Successfully prevented State from cutting 2,000 trees on Forest Preserve near Lake Placid to create bobsled run for 1932 Olympic Winter Games, forcing use of private lands for run. This unanimous State Court of Appeals decision in McDonald v. Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks is the most important conservation legal decision of this century.
- 1932 - Chaired a statewide committee to defeat a closed cabin amendment which would have permitted private cabin colonies inside the Forest Preserve.
- 1938 - Helped keep Forever Wild Covenant intact during struggles within the State Constitutional-Convention to defeat it. The current Article XIV, Section I of 1938 replaced Article VII, but maintained the exact wording
- 1944 - Fought the United States Government on use of Forest Preserve lands for extending the railroad to Tahawus.
- 1945 - Helped defeat another closed cabin amendment affecting the Forest Preserve.
- 1948 - Through 1956. Strongly opposed Panther Mountain Dam on the South Branch of the Moose River and financially supported the litigation.
- 1951 - To 1964. Association officers active on stated Joint Legislative Committee on Natural Resources which initiated studies leading to creation of 15 Wilderness Areas within the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
- 1964 - Association's officers authorized bringing suit against the state to set aside an amendment to the Conservation Department (now the Department of Environmental Conservation) snowmobile regulations which would have permitted use of the machines anywhere in the Preserve except where lands were posted against such use. Before legal action was instituted, the agency's Commissioner amended the objectionable provision to eliminate the right to use snowmobiles across country, limiting them to signed roads and trails designated for their use.
- 1965 - Fought building the Gooley dam on the upper Hudson River.
- 1967 - Helped defeat the Adirondack Mountains National Park proposal.
- 1968 - To 1970. Worked with the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks, strongly supporting Commission recommendations to create an Adirondack Park Agency and a Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System
- 1972 - Joined other organizations and individuals to defeat the legal challenge to the constitutionality of the Adirondack Park Agency.
- 1972 - Financially supported and promoted the influential Adirondack film Of Rivers and Men which helped convince Governors Rockefeller and Carey to create and expand the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System.
- 1979 - Produced the first special report on the subject of acid rain, describing how it acts on the Adirondack aquatic environment. From that time, the Association pioneered the Adirondack effort to obtain a new Clean Air Act to reduce acid-causing emissions from burning of fossil fuels.
- 1980 - Financially supported and promoted the influential Adirondack film The Adirondack: The Land Nobody Knows, which won the international CINE Eagle award as a documentary.
- 1985 - Sponsored a major conference on the occasion of the Centennial of the New York State Forest Preserve.
- 1987 - Hired a full-time Executive Director and published special report, Unit Planning for Wilderness Management
- 1988 - Initiated the Committee for the Adirondack Park Centennial under leadership of Association Vice President Barbara McMartin.
- 1988 - The Adirondack Research Center, formally housed at Union College and the Schenectady Museum, merged with The Association and provided extensive archives, books, manuscripts and research experience to the organization.
- 1989 - To 1990. Monitored the work of the Governor's Commission on the Adirondacks in the 21st Century, providing testimony at public hearings; issuing a statement on Association's reactions; holding a special conference; and publishing a report with conference findings.
- 1990 - Financially sponsored creation of an audio exhibit at the state's Adirondack Park Visitor Adaptive Center at Paul Smiths, dramatizing the debate leading to approval of the Forever Wild Covenant in the Constitutional Convention of 1894.
- 1990 - Adirondack Research Center published Verplanck Colvin's final State Land Survey which was unpublished since created in 1898.
- 1991 - Hosted first major conference on Adirondack biological diversity conservation.
- 1992 - Fought to prevent the state from paving a ski trail to create a high-speed biathlon and roller skiing surface on Forest Preserve lands near Lake Placid, site of 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games and major winter sporting events.
- 1992 - Hosted a Park Centennial Conference on Visions for the Adirondack Park's Second Century. Published lectures and forums in illustrated book Wilderness and People, the Future of the Adirondack Park in 1993.
- 1993 - Association's annual conference revealed innovative partnerships possible among tourism, economic development and conservation entities. Partnerships include a new central Adirondack travel package of education, sightseeing and lodging.
- 1993 - The Association helped forge a coalition of interest groups which succeeded in creating a statewide Environmental Protection Fund.
- 1993 - The Association protested destruction of large glacial boulders on New York State Route 8. Resulting dialogue with the New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner established the state's commitment to preserve scenic amenities along Adirondack roadways.
- 1994 - Media stories of the Association's Forever Wild Centennial celebration and symposium reached national markets. Expert presenters called for a shift from solely recreational emphasis of the Forest Preserve towards a more educational, informational mission for stewards of the Forest Preserve.
- 1994 - Published Looking for Answers: An Exploration of Biodiversity in the Adirondack Park, as part of ongoing educational efforts to create public dialogue on issues.
- 1995 - The Adirondack Research Center completed a process to become The Adirondack Research Library (ARL) and is a Capital District Library Council member. Catalog computerization nears completion and holdings will be on line soon through the national OCLC Catalog (Library of Congress).
- 1995 - A summer wind-storm resulted in blow down of trees on Forest Preserve land, leading to Association's role as educator and stimulator of discussions of state Constitutional and other legal issues involved in public policy response.
- 1995 - Sustainable Forests, Living Lakes, a Family Conference on the Adirondack Northern Forest revisits Finding Common Ground, the recommendations of the Northern Forest Lands Council.
- 1997 - Spurred by Association's Wilderness Roundtable conference, the first such gathering in over a decade, wilderness user management and wilderness training reemerge as priorities for state and private agencies.
- 1998 - Sponsored the conference Adirondack Park: An Educational Laboratory, to examine whether Adirondack studies should become part of high school curricula throughout the state.
- 1998 - Association issues report on Public Lands Stewardship, calling for new focus, planning attention and financial resources to manage the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks and Catskills. It defends the Preserve against inappropriate widening and grading of trails.
- 1999 - Association participates in New York State Wilderness Training of Forest Ranger and Environmental Conservation Officer recruits
- 1999 - In June, Association purchases the home and land in Niskayuna of the late Adirondack preservationist Paul Schaefer, for use as an educational Center for the Forest Preserve and Adirondack Research Library. A campaign continues for funding to preserve the Dutch style fieldstone house with its Adirondack Room, and to construct additional space for office, library and meetings needs.
- 1999 - In October, Association co-sponsors a two week exchange of environmental and governmental leaders from the Lake Baikal region of Siberia to benefit environmental progress and international understanding between these major Park regions.
- 2000 - Following years of citizen advocacy, New York State designates nearly 50,000 acres as Wilderness in the William C. Whitney, Lake Lila and Oswegatchie regions of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
- 2000 - Association launches Phase II of its $1.2 million Capital Campaign; sets goals to: a) complete fund raising and start construction by Summer 2002. b) move staff into new facility by Summer 2003
- 2001 - Association celebrates its founding (December 1901) by early leaders in preservation and advocacy for the 'Forever Wild' convenant, Article XIV of the New York State Constitution with a kick-off gala event, 'Mysterious Mountains' a Centennial Celebration - a concert and benefit dinner held at Union College, Schenectady, NY.
- 2001 - Association launches its Advocates for Wilderness Stewardship initiative to help raise the standards of quality for State and private stewardship of state-designated Wilderness Areas as well as the wilderness attributes of other Forest Preserve lands; it will seek to build capacity at the Association and throughout the environmental community for advancing wilderness stewardship and management in New York.