Annual report covers the highlights of the work of Protect the Adirondacks from 2024-2025
Protect the Adirondacks’ Annual Report for 2024-2025 is now available. This report covers our work over the last year, focusing on advocacy, research, independent public oversight over Forest Preserve management and private land development, wildlife and water quality protection work, and much more. 2024-2025 was another busy year in The Adirondack Park, raising many challenges, with some key opportunities to advance environmental protections and to help build vital communities throughout the Adirondack Park.
Protect the Adirondacks is incredibly grateful to our members for your steadfast and generous support. We could not do all of the work that we do week-in and week-out, month after month, year after year, without your support and activism.
Read PROTECT’s 2024-25 Annual Report here.
Here’s our Chairman’s Letter
Dear Protect the Adirondacks Members,
As part of our staff succession planning, Claudia Braymer started as our new Executive Director on January 1, 2025 and Peter Bauer transitioned into a new role focusing on fundraising and special projects, among other things. This change went off without a hitch and the important work of Protect the Adirondacks continued uninterrupted.
The Conservation and Advocacy report summarizes the major issues that Protect the Adirondacks engaged on through the year. We have been pushing Governor Kathy Hochul to add the 36,000-acre Whitney Park property to the Forest Preserve to protect these critical lands in the heart of the Park and to help the State reach its goal of protecting 30% of the State by 2030.
Our advocacy in collaboration with many other Adirondack groups led to the Adi-rondack Park Agency (APA) dropping its proposal to amend the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan to open new areas of the Forest Preserve to motor vehicles. We are part of the State’s new efforts to establish a statewide policy for people with disabilities to use motor vehicles on State lands while keeping intact the protections that apply to the Forest Preserve.
We helped boost environmental spending by the State on Adirondack Park priorities, including seeing the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) increased to a historic high of $425 million and having $1 million added for a carrying capacity study of the Saranac Chain of Lakes. Our efforts helped to obtain “Second Passage” of the new Article 14 constitutional amendment for Mount Van Hoevenberg that will address violations at the Winter Sports complex located outside of Lake Placid and add 2,500 acres of new lands to the Forest Preserve.
Updating the APA Act is long overdue and is something that our staff have been diligently working to address. The APA Act needs to incorporate modern science and planning including climate change and conservation subdivision design.
These are challenging times for defending existing environmental protections and we are grateful that you are standing with us as we work tirelessly to protect the Adirondacks. Thank you for supporting us financially and informing the direction of our work. We will continue to bring accountability to the state agencies responsible for upholding environmental protections for the Park, and to search for real solutions to the challenges facing the Park. Thank you very much!
— Chuck Clusen, Chair, Board of Directors
