Adirondack Wilderness Advocates

06/15/2026

Join what is sure to be an interesting and informative event on Thursday, June 18th at Hotel Saranac. AWA’s co-founder Bill Ingersoll is among the panelists. Thanks Adirondack Explorer for organizing!

06/11/2026

Admiring the work of nature’s great engineer, the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), in the Pepperbox Wilderness 🦫

06/09/2026

A local newspaper reports that DEC continues to review public comments and the High Peaks Visitor Use Management study, and there will be no policy changes this season.

We certainly appreciate the complexities of management a highly visited Wilderness, and we believe decisions should be made with the best available science. However, we have significant concerns about what this planning process portends for public access to NYS constitutionally protected lands.

In the spirit of transparency, our full public comment can be found on our website.

The purpose of the framework is to provide cohesive guidance on the major elements for analyzing and managing visitor use.

06/07/2026

Exciting news in celebration of yesterday!!
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Adirondack Wilderness Advocates (AWA) believes that, whenever possible, unambiguous data about a problem helps those working to solve it. That is why we have been exploring ways, with the help of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) students, to get data about trailhead usage into the hands of land managers in a low-cost, timely manner.
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Recently, we installed a trail counter at an Adirondack trailhead. The counter was built and designed by students at RIT. It transmits data about trail usage. Like other trail counters, it only records if a heat signature passes by the sensor; it does NOT record anything identifying. It is our hope that data like this can someday inform hikers in real time how busy certain trailheads may be.
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Pictured: AWA Board Chair Pete Nelson after installing the trail counter and a graph showing trail usage from May 19-June 1.

06/03/2026

Adirondack Wilderness Advocates recently submitted a public comment to NYSDEC concerning the “Visitor Use Management Pilot Project Final Recommendations Report and Monitoring Plan,” which was released to the public in April 2026. While we acknowledge the considerable effort NYSDEC and its consultants invested in this project and we recognize that managing a high-visitation Wilderness presents genuine and complex challenges, we have significant concerns about what this planning process portends for public access to NYS constitutionally protected lands.

Our full public comment is available on our website.

The purpose of the framework is to provide cohesive guidance on the major elements for analyzing and managing visitor use.

06/02/2026

A Broad-winged Hawk soars above Grassy Pond in the Blue Ridge Wilderness 🪶

06/02/2026

There are a lot of questions surrounding remoteness. How exactly do we define remoteness? Is it just a feeling or is it measurable and quantifiable?

In general, Adirondack Wilderness Advocates defines remote as 3 or more miles from a road. But what is a road? Are there differences among roads drivable by cars, snowmobiles, horses, occasional administrative vehicles, mobility devices such as wheelchairs or electric bikes, or rescue vehicles? The Adirondack Park is a unique mix of wilderness lands and campgrounds, towns, and businesses. We at AWA want to respect all areas of the Park while preserving as much wilderness and remoteness as possible.

AWA's Pete Nelson and Janelle Jones, along with John Davis, dive into the subject of remoteness in the Adirondack Park and what that means for wildlife.

Imagine you were a moose. How much remoteness would you need? AWA's...

05/26/2026

What do remoteness, NASCAR, cargo ships, and Noah John Rondeau all have in common? They’re all mentioned in our latest Wild Thoughts blog!

Janelle Jones, from AWA’s board, recently went searching for Delaware’s most remote location. What she found was vastly different than the most remote location in the Adirondacks, which is located deep in the High Peaks Wilderness.

05/21/2026

Why should you support Adirondack Wilderness Advocates? 🌳 Our grassroots efforts are laser-focused on wilderness and we stand firm by our mission.

Why should you support Adirondack Wilderness Advocates? Our grassroots efforts are laser-focused on wilderness and we stand by our mission.

05/18/2026

After a long winter, we’re glad to see spring ephemerals, like these in the Giant Mountain Wilderness! Spring ephemerals are woodland wildflowers that develop early each spring before the trees fully leaf out. These plants play an important role in the ecosystem by providing early food for pollinators.

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Photo 1: lots of light makes its way to the forest floor before trees fully leaf out, creating great opportunities for spring ephemerals!
Photo 2: Jack-in-the-pulpit
Photo 3: Red trillium
Photo 4: Trout lily