Adding to Wins in the New York State Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, the Legislature Passes Constitutional Amendment for Mount Van Hoevenberg, Senate Confirms Two New Nominees to the Adirondack Park Agency; more work needed on several pending bills that did not pass the Legislature this year.

The New York State Legislature ended its 2025 session in June after earlier in the year passing a state budget that included significant funding for Adirondack programs and initiatives. Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York State Senate, and the Assembly enacted a landmark state budget that delivers critical investments in conservation, land stewardship, and environmental justice. The new State Budget for FY2026 being finalized in the State Legislature provides significant funding for Adirondack programs primarily through a historic bump to the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which is now up to $425 million. The newly increased EPF includes $1 million for the Department of Environmental Conservation to undertake the long-awaited carrying capacity study of the Saranac Chain of Lakes near Saranac Lake. More details on the FY26 State Budget are on our website.

Constitutional Amendment for Mount Van Hoevenberg

The Constitutional Amendment that Protect supports for the Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Sports Complex in Lake Placid passed the Assembly and the Senate. The enabling legislation also passed both houses. The Constitutional Amendment and the accompanying enabling legislation are needed to resolve constitutional violations at the Winter Sports Complex that occurred as upgrades and expansion of the facilities took place over the years. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would authorize the State to use up to 323 acres of the 1,039 acres in the Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Sports Complex for the construction, operation and
maintenance of Nordic skiing and biathlon trails and a stadium for training, competition and world class events, and necessary facilities such as access roads, parking lots, offices, lodges and snowmaking equipment. The enabling legislation provides boundaries for what types of facilities would not be allowed (e.g., hotels, swimming pools, zip lines). As part of the amendment, the State must acquire for incorporation into the Forest Preserve at least 2500 acres of forest
land in the Adirondack Park.

The proposed Constitutional Amendment will go to the voters in the fall of 2025. We urge you to vote yes!

Building at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Sports Complex

Senate Confirms Two New Nominees to the Adirondack Park Agency

In June, the Senate confirmed Governor Kathy Hochul’s two new nominees to the Adirondack Park Agency (APA): Jose Almanzar, an environmental attorney who will fill an “out of park” seat, and Rush Holt, Jr., a scientist and former Congressman from New Jersey who will fill an “in park” seat. The APA Board plays a critical role in protecting the 6 million-acre Adirondack Park. It oversees the Department of Environmental Conservation’s management of nearly 3 million acres of Forest Preserve lands and regulates development across the remaining 3 million acres of private lands.

We are encouraged by the two new APA Board Members—Rush Holt, Jr. and Jose Almanzar, Esq.—who bring qualifications and experience that are both relevant and necessary for the Board’s mission, and we anticipate that they will be excellent additions to the APA Board. These two individuals will bring much-needed environmental leadership to the APA Board. We look forward to seeing how these two new Board Members engage in their roles as APA Board Members. We hope that they will use their voices to bring fresh perspectives to the APA Board along with a strong commitment to upholding the mission of the APA.

The Senate also confirmed the renominations of current APA Board Members Zoe Smith, Benita Law-Diao, Dan Wilt, Mark Hall and Ken Lynch.

APA Board Chair John Ernst (above front, center) retired as of June 30, 2025. A new Chair has not yet been named.

Wolf Protection Bill Passed Out of Key Committee in the Assembly

The wolf protection bill was re-introduced early in 2025 (S.5402/A.1129) by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Robert Carroll. The will direct the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to collect data about canids that have specified characteristics that are killed by hunters and trappers in New York. The data collected will help DEC to identify areas of the state where wolves, a protected endangered species, may be present and will direct DEC to collect important genetic information on coyote and wolf populations in the state. The legislation does not reduce the hunting season or decrease bag limits for hunters and trappers lawfully killing coyotes or other game animals in New York State. Some changes were made to the version of the bill that was introduced in 2024 to help it move through the Legislature this year.

After our Wolf Lobby Day at the beginning of May, the wolf protection bill passed out of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee! We worked hard with other advocates trying to get the bill to the Assembly floor for a vote, but it did not happen before the end of the Legislative session. Next year it will be better positioned to move earlier in the session because it already passed out of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. We will need to make a big push to get the bill moving in the State Senate where it has been stalled.

Forest Tax Law Bill 

Protect and other environmental and conservation groups supported a new bill sponsored by Senator Rachel May and Assemblymember Anna Kelles that would provide tax incentives to landowners to help them protect their wild forest lands. Maintaining mature wild forests conserves wildlife habitat, protections air and water quality and soil health, and helps to fight climate change by sequestering and storing carbon. Permanently protecting forest lands will also help New York meet its statutory goal of conserving 30 percent of lands in the state by 2030 pursuant to the 30 by 30 Act.

The new bill amending the Forest Tax Law was introduced in both the Senate and the Assembly, but it did not pass out of committee in either house. We will be talking to the bill sponsors and other stakeholders in the coming months to find a path forward for the bill next year.