Issues facing park
Report card includes warnings for road salt, pollution, climate change
The Adirondack Park is so popular that overuse is harming wilderness and communities, according to a new report.
Are the Adirondack mountains a victim of their own success? Maybe not victims, but they are certainly challenged by the crowds that are showing up at popular spots like the High Peaks, according to the Adirondack Council, which issued its annual State of the Park report card this week.
“The Adirondack Park is so popular that overuse is harming wilderness and communities. Air pollution is increasing, excess road salt and untreated sewage are harming drinking water, climate change is real,” reads part of the introduction to the report from Executive Director Willie Janeway.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, as the report includes bright spots as well as ominous signs.
Advances in scientific research and legislation aiming for clear air are emerging as pluses.
Still, topping the report card list is crowding in the region. “State officials began to address overuse, but have far to go. They expanded public education, but didn’t address Wilderness preservation. The state limited roadside parking in some locations, but didn’t develop a comprehensive plan or fund a reservation system, better infrastructure, staffing and peak-use management,” reads the report.
Another sore spot was the Adirondack Park Agency, the government organization that oversees land use and other aspects of the park. Turnover at the top of the agency and unfilled board seats were among the problems.
High points include additional money for clean water efforts and support for invasive species protections, including boat launch inspections that have helped keep pests like spiny water fleas and zebra mussels from gaining a solid foothold in places like Lake George.
The council, like other environmental groups, is also happy about the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this summer.
That law calls for sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, including an 85 percent reduction in carbon generation below 1990 levels by 2050.
“Climate change threatens natural and human communities in the Adirondacks,” reads the report.