Adirondack Area Information

The history of the Adirondacks has been shaped and influenced by many powerful forces. Logging, mining, farming, tourism and even medicine have all played a major role in the development of the region. In the early 1800's, towns like St. Regis, Paul Smiths and Old Forge sprang up taking advantage of the vast timber resources and iron ore deposits. In the central Adirondacks, pioneers cleared the large tracts of land for farming creating the first settlements. And beginning in the late nineteenth century, the Adirondacks became a popular destination for the rich and famous. Known as the "Gilded Age", this period is famous for the construction of huge rustic compounds called Great Camps.


Adirondack Statistics
Adirondack State Park - 6 Million Acres
Adirondack Forest Preserve - 2.3 Million Acres
8,000 Sq. miles of mountains
2,000 miles of foot trails
240 lean-tos
35 campsites
200 lakes at least a square mile area
There are over 2,000 high peak mountains
There are over 40 high peak mountains over 4,000 feet
The highest peak is Mount Marcy at 5,344 feet
There are over 50 species of animals
Over 220 Birds Over 30 species of reptiles and amphibians
66 species of fish
Over 2,300 lakes and ponds
1,500 miles of rivers
30,000 miles of brooks and streams

Adirondack Architectural Heritage
“Preserving the architecture and communities of the Adirondacks through education, action, and advocacy”

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is the nonprofit historic preservation organization for New York State’s Adirondack Park. AARCH was formed in 1990 with a mission to promote better public understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the Adirondack's unique and diverse architectural heritage. This legacy includes not only the nationally recognized "Great Camps" and other rustic buildings but also the many other structures that embody the whole range of human experience in the region. These other structures include: a wide variety of homes and farmsteads; the churches, commercial buildings, town halls and libraries that make up most Adirondack settlements; bridges, railroad buildings, lighthouses and other transportation related structures; and industrial sites related to the region's important iron, wood, quarrying and tanning industries.

AARCH's regular activities include:
Sponsoring a series of tours to historic places throughout the Park
Holding workshops
Holding annual conferences
Giving educational slide presentations
Publishing a biannual Newsletter
Offering “architecture-in-education” programs in the region’s public schools
Providing technical assistance to homeowners, municipalities, businesses and other organizations
Helping to manage and interpret Camp Santanoni
Promoting the preservation of Adirondack fire towers by sponsoring three fire tower restoration projects
Giving out annual Awards
Keeping track of and advocate for Endangered Properties
Holding preservation easements

AARCH has an active and engaged membership of nearly 1000. AARCH membership is made up of people who care about the region’s architecture, communities, history, and quality of life. Our members are year-round and seasonal residents, organizations, local governments, businesses, and others who love the Adirondack Park. Members receive discounts on events and publications, get advance notice of events, are able to take part in interesting and rewarding volunteer projects, and receive our biannual Newsletter.

Adirondack Mountain Club
The Adirondack Mountain Club -- ADK -- is dedicated to the protection and responsible recreational use of the New York State Forest Preserve, parks and other wild lands and waters. The Club, founded in 1922, is a member-directed organization committed to public service and stewardship. ADK employs a balanced approach to outdoor recreation, advocacy, environmental education and natural resource conservation.

Adirondack Forty-Sixers
The membership of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers Inc. consists of hikers who have climbed to the summits of the 46 major peaks of the Adirondacks. The club is dedicated to environmental protection, to education for proper usage of wilderness areas and to participation in work projects in cooperation with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation to meet these objectives.

Adirondack Council
The Adirondack Council is a not-for-profit environmental group that has been working since 1975 to protect the open-space resources of New York State's six-million-acre Adirondack Park and to help sustain the natural and human communities of the region. Based in the Adirondacks with a second office in Albany, the Adirondack Council has a staff of 15 and a strong and vocal membership of 18,000.

The Adirondack Council is the largest citizen environmental group in New York State working full-time, on a daily basis in the Adirondack Park, in the state capital and in Washington D.C. to preserve this six-million-acre treasure.

The Council's Park protection efforts include:

Advocacy and lobbying for Adirondack land use planning and land protection.

Research into issues that affect the ecology and economy of the Park.

Public education about the Park through the media and schools.

Environmental monitoring on the local, state, and national levels.

Litigation, when necessary.
The Adirondack Council works on every governmental level to gain land and water protection funding. The Council:

- Helped gain state legislative and voter approval of a $1.75 billion "Clean Air, Clean Water" Bond Act that now provides money for landfill closures, sewage treatment, Lake Champlain cleanup and land protection through conservation easements and fee title purchase from willing sellers;

- Works to ensure that the New York State Legislature provides adequate funding to New York's Environmental Protection Fund;

- Pushes Congress to appropriate federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money for land protection in New York; and,

- Presses for changes to national clean air policy to give the Adirondacks a chance to recover from the damage acid rain has caused and is still causing.

The Adirondack Council monitors development on private lands, ensures the mandated constitutional protection of public lands, and "watchdogs" and advises the public agencies that work within the Park. The Council keeps members up-to-date on "goings-on" in the Adirondack Park through regular newsletters, special publications - like our report on acid rain "Acid Rain - A Continuing National Tragedy" and action alerts on hot Adirondack issues. It also plans for the future of the Adirondacks through public education, research and policy analysis.

Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI)
The Adirondack Watershed Institute was established to maximize the efforts of two of Paul Smith's most dynamic and successful community initiatives: the Adirondack Aquatic Program and the Watershed Stewardship Program. Established in 1992 in cooperation with the Upper Saranac Lake Association, the underlying mission for each program continues to be information gathering and sharing, and helping to provide a comprehensive approach to protecting and maintaining the region's natural resources.

The Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks
Vision - To provide a leadership role as an advocate for the continued success of the New York State Forest Preserve and the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, acting as a catalyst and forum for interaction and problem-solving by diverse interests.
Mission - To protect and enhance the natural resources and the human values of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks and the New York State Forest Preserve.

Residents' Committee for the Protection of the Adirondacks
Formed in 1990, the Residents' Committee to Protect the Adirondacks (RCPA) is the grassroots voice for Adirondack residents, year-round and seasonal, natives and newcomers, who desire to see the natural resources and rural communities of the Adirondack Park protected in perpetuity. The RCPA pursues this agenda through grassroots organizing, advocacy, research, education, and legal action. The RCPA is led by a Board of Directors, has 3,000 member households, and is headquartered in North Creek, in the central Adirondacks.

Vision Statement
The vision of the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks is:

• That the vast majority of the Adirondack Park is protected from activities that compromise its wild character;

• That growth in the Adirondack Park is planned and sustainable;

• That Adirondack Park communities enable healthy human activities and economic opportunities;

• That the “forever wild” principle guides Forest Preserve management and acquisition;

• That ecosystems and natural processes in the Adirondack Park are restored and protected; and,

• That the Adirondack Park remains connected to other wild areas.

Adirondack Park Agency
The Adirondack Park Agency is a New York State government agency, consisting of approximately 60 staff and an eleven-member board. In 1971 the Adirondack Park Agency was created by the State Legislature to develop long-range land use plans for both public and private lands within the Adirondack Park.