While the Adirondacks have been a focus of the American conservation movement since the 1850s, work remains to protect and restore this region, which is home to the largest complex of wildlands in the eastern United States.
We’ve been working in the Adirondacks since 1992, and have partnered with New York State, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and private partners to safeguard this unique landscape.
Why the Adirondacks
The health of the Adirondacks also has implications for anyone living downstream of the five major water systems — the Hudson, Black, St. Lawrence, and Mohawk Rivers and the New York portion of the Champlain basin — that have their headwaters in the region.
And while 54 species of mammals make their home in Adirondack Park, staff are still working to re-introduce native fauna, including beaver, fisher, American marten, moose, lynx, and osprey.
Our Impact
Both directly and through loans and grants to our partners, we have conserved and improved nearly 60,000 acres in the Adirondacks, including:
- Protected the largest single addition to the Adirondack Forest Preserve in a century — the Finch, Pruyn Lands
- Acquired the 10,000-acre Tahawus Tract and opened two new trails on the property
- Partnered with Revolution Rail to protect 30 miles of a rail line in Warren and Essex counties
- Preserved the historic village of Adirondac, where Theodore Roosevelt, after hearing that President McKinley was dying, boarded a train in 1901 for his “midnight ride to the presidency”
- Completed the Adirondack Upper Works project to improve public access to the park. The updated site welcomes nearly 20,000 annual visitors
- Permanently protected more than 1,260 acres of the "Huckleberry Mountain" property and added it to the Wilcox State Forest
- Added the Split Rock Wildway wildlife corridor to the Westport-Essex Hiking Trail by working with partners including Champlain Area Trails and Lake Champlain Land Trust
- Conserved more than 600 acres of the "Trembleau Mountain-Lake Champlain Shoreline" property and added it to the Adirondack Forest Preserve