Adirondack Park.

Adirondack Park State Land Acquistion Policy. As explained in the the Adirondack State Land Master Plan. [December 13, 2011]

Adirondack Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System. A look at the Adirondack Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System from the APSLMP. [December 6, 2011]

Cap Adirondack Wilderness at One Million Acres. In 1972, the Adirondack State Land Master Plan called for no material increase in roads or snowmobile trails in the Adirondack Park. Why not cap wilderness in Adirondack Park? [March 27, 2011]

Land Use Classifications in Adirondack Forest Preserve. A look at the various types of state forests defined in the Adirondack State Land Master Plan. [March 28, 2011]

No Such Thing As Wilderness in the Adirondacks. Despite what some of environmentalist folk term wilderness, most land has been used by man. [April 26, 2010]

Camping.

The Pros and Cons of Getting a Camping Permit. While not required for stays less then 3 days, it's not a bad idea at any rate. [July 10, 2011]

Why Does the DEC Hide Camping Areas? The state's haphazard policy towards primitive camping is unnecessarily confusing to causal users. [August 25, 2010]

Comments on Adirondack UMPs.

Comments on the Moose River Plains UMP. There is much to support in the plan, but closure of roads and camping areas is disconcerning. [September 17, 2010]

Intensive Use Confusion Over Moose River Plains. There are a lot of issues remaining surrounding the creation of the new intensive use area. [April 25, 2011]

What Happened to Ferris Lake and Wilcox Lake Unit Management Plans? The DEC released drafts and took public comment, yet never attempted to get APA or Comissioner approval. [April 21, 2011]

Endangered Species.

Futile War on Emerald Ash Borer. As much as we hope that the quaratine works, we know we probably will lose our ash trees. [June 21, 2010]

NY State Consitution.

Are Conservation Easements an End-Run Around the State Constitution? Designed to get around "Forever Wild" Provisions of the State Constitution, they allow logging on protected Adirondack lands. [October 27, 2010]

Article XIV (Conservation) of NY State Constitution. A look at the language of the state constitution relating to conservation, public lands, and forest preserve. [April 7, 2011]

NY State Nature and Historical Preserve. The relatively obscure state lands managed by the DEC. [October 7, 2011]

State Nature and Historic Preserve Deserves Enhanced Consitutional Protections. Important and unique lands like the Albany Pine Bush, Salmon River Falls, Croton River Falls, and Labrador Hollow can be relatively easily be alienated by two successive legislatures. [January 15, 2012]

Parks.

Google Maps: NY State Park & Historic Sites Hiking Trails. Google Maps and Google Earth KML of all of hiking trails that the NY Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has mapped using a GPS unit. [June 26, 2011]

Google Maps: Producing Oil & Gas Wells in NY State Parks. The number of oil and gas wells in State Parks has dropped in recent years, but 41 wells remain across the state. [May 15, 2012]

My Love-Hate Relationship with Albany Pine Bush. As an urban preserve, it is very regulated and restricted in it's public use. [February 12, 2012]

Public Parks vs Occupy Movement. Allowing people to stay more then a short-term visit to a park undermines the concept of a park. [December 23, 2011]

What are Alienations and Non-Alienations of Parkland? An excerpt from NYS Parks Handbook about what NY State can and can do with parklands without a formal alienation act by the state legislature. [May 26, 2011]

Responsible Use.

Earth as a Pickup Truck. Mother earth is tough, but needs some care. [June 25, 2006]

Grannis' DEC Says No. Too often the DEC regulates individuals without legislative approval. [June 11, 2008]

Hamilton Street is Not the Adirondacks or Catskills. Despite being a convient road to take to either area, it's a world apart from these wild areas. [May 26, 2010]

Shitty Toilet Paper. People need to be better at disposing of their human waste byproducts in the woods and not leaving presents for others. [September 28, 2009]

Think Locally, Act Locally. So much of the focus on big international issues is leading people to forget about the real environmental challenges locally. [April 22, 2011]

Vandalizing Public Property. People destroying our commons never has made much sense. [June 30, 2006]

What Does It Mean To Be An Environmentalist? Exploring what it meaning of what it means to be an environmentalist... [February 12, 2007]

Why NYS Should 'Abandon' Some State Parks. Allowing underused parks to revert to state forest land makes a lot of sense. [February 4, 2010]

Why the Negative Sign? Negative enforcement signs are mean spirted and less effective then positive messages. [June 9, 2011]

State Forests.

Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks v. Alexander MacDonald. An interesting and important court case relating to recreational development on forest preserve lands in Adirondack and Catskill Parks. [June 6, 2011]

Google Maps: Producing Oil & Gas Wells on NY Forest Lands. Want to see an oil or gas well up close? Visit a state forest with one on it! [May 24, 2011]

How Much Recreational Development is Allowed in the Forest Preserve? A rather lengthy look at the case law about "Forever Wild" provisions in the State Constitution and how they relate to recreational facilities in the preserve. [June 8, 2011]

State Lands.

Adirondack Forest Preserve: Classification and Acres. A look at the various facilities, classes, and uses of forest preserve in the Adirondacks. [October 5, 2011]

Large NY State Forests Tend to Be Located In Rural Areas. For most New Yorkers, it can be a bit of a drive to a local state forest. [July 25, 2011]

Ranking the Size of State Parks, Wild Forests, Wilderness, Other Lands. I made up a set of Google Maps for the sake of comparison. [February 4, 2012]

Regional Maps of Public Lands of NY State. A series of maps of public lands of NY State across the state. [December 8, 2011]

State Land Acreage By Classification. A look at the various classifications of state land, state-wide from the DEC website. [January 13, 2012]

State Should Require Companies to Remove Logging Trash from Trails. While leaving brush and other unsalable timber makes sense for habitat, it's awful for hiking. [March 20, 2011]

The State Forests of NY State. A look at NY State Forest System with maps and related data. [December 3, 2011]

Why Don’t Public Lands Belong to People of New York? The slightly paranoid rhetoric of some state agency signs, suggests public servants forget who employees them. [May 27, 2011]

Truck Trails.

Dear Cuomo: Don't Forget About State Truck Trails. They provide important interior access to the Adirondack Park for hunters, campers, fishermen, and those who enjoy outdoor recreation. [February 3, 2011]

DEC Commissioner Policy #38 - Forest Preserve Roads. A look at the official policy of DEC Commissioner relating to maintenance and repair of state truck trails in forest preserve. [December 2, 2011]

DEC Truck Trails Longer Then 1 Mile. A list of all truck trails maintained by the DEC to access and use state forests and state forest preserve. [June 29, 2011]

NY Should Preserve the "Adirondack Homeland" Rock. An important part of history should not be forgotten to fading paint and memories. [January 23, 2011]

Section 212 of the State Highway Law. Abandonment of Highways on State Lands has been controversial for many years now. [April 28, 2011]

State Should Maintain Truck Trails. There has been a lack of investment in maintaining roads on state lands. [August 12, 2009]