Land Management, Conservation, and the Adirondack Park

New York State’s Adirondack Park is one of the largest protected areas in the country, covering about 6 million acres of the state. Among the unique aspects of this park is the shared space of state owned and privately owned land. In the heart of the Park is the Preserve, with the written goal of keeping protected lands “forever wild.” As deforestation wrecks the planet, it’s important to conserve what pockets of forests we have left. The Park’s goal of “forever wild” seems to uphold this idea, but has this goal been accomplished in terms of preservation of forests, and how does the relationship of public/private land affect that? This study aims to analyze how state parks manage their lands in relation to conservation, and how complicated relationships with local landowners may affect these efforts. To answer this question, I have researched various documents and papers recounting the history of the park, land classifications, and the process of acquiring land through the APA, and the agency/park’s conservation efforts. From this research I have learned of a contentious history between the APA and local communities. I expect to find more information about this contention and how the relationships between residents/landowners and the parks’ higher management is today. I expect the agency to have some programs aiming for conservation and environmentalism, but further research is needed to understand how effective this has been in the area.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1037/thumbnail.jp