Dispatches from the Adirondack Core

The Adirondack region is unique. There are spectacular mountains, lakes and rivers but it’s the forest that set this place apart. Ecologically distinctive and “forever wild”, protected by a provision of the New York State constitution, the largest intact forest east of the Mississippi.

I’m Kent Stanton, a naturalist, photographer, and writer living in Long Lake (NY) and through these dispatches I will share my observations and reflections on the beauty of this place. But mostly I want to talk about keeping faith with those 19th century visionaries who left this wonderland in our care.

My background is in science education and software, especially Geographic Information Systems, and putting data on the map will be a common theme for these posts. The management of a mix of public and private lands, at a time of political and cultural division, is not without controversy. I look for a middle ground.

It doesn't all have to be wilderness, but some places need strong protection. There are resources to be used, but let's be smart about it. People live here, they need to make a living and we need to support that. And the New Yorkers who have paid to keep this place as it is have standing as well.

My hope is that a fair look at the knowledge held by residents, visitors and all the various stakeholders who have ideas about what the Adirondacks can, and should be, can move us forward.

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