The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices from the Adirondack Park

by William F. Porter, Jon D. Erickson, Ross S. Whaley

Overview

The Adirondack region of New York State is, in many respects, America's cauldron of conservation. It was there, more than a century ago, that wanton exploitation of forests first aroused concern about human impact on the environment. It was there that Americans first began to set aside lands proclaimed as "forever wild." The establishment of the Adirondack Park created an immense landscape of 6 million acres composed of a mixture of public and private lands in nearly equal proportion. This unprecedented blend of human communities within wild lands makes the Adirondack Park perhaps one of the greatest case studies in conservation and development in U.S. history. Representing a remarkable achievement in environmental scholarship and drawn from decades of research, The Great Experiment in Conservation captures the wisdom born of the last thirty years of the park's evolution. The editors bring together leading scholars, activists, and practitioners-those who know the Park's origin and the realities of living in a protected area-to narrate this history. Organized into three sections, contributors explore the ecological, cultural, and economic aspects of the region, drawing lessons from successes and failures as they struggle to find the right balance of private interests and public controls. With keen insight and deep passion, the authors reveal the Adirondack Park's rich natural and cultural history in shaping conservation policy, providing vital contributions to the future study of land preservation. Contributors include: Herman Daly, Bill McKibben, Barbara McMartin, Philip G. Terrie, Amy Vedder, and Bill Weber.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815632313
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	07/10/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	640
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

William F. Porter is professor of wildlife ecology and director of the Adirondack Ecological Center at SUNY ESF. Jon D. Erickson is associate professor of ecological economics at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, faculty of the Environmental Program, and fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont. Ross S. Whaley is emeritus president and professor of SUNY ESF. He is former chairman of the Adirondack Park Agency and served on the Governor's Commission for the Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Connecting Means and Ends in the Study of Place Herman E. Daly Introduction: The Cornerstones of Conservation Ross S. Whaley, Jon D. Erickson, and William F. Porter Part one | Foundations of the Adirondack Ecosystem and Economy Introduction: A Dark Spot in a Sea of Lights William F. Porter 1. Geology of the Adirondack Mountains: Like an Egg with Its Major Axis to the North James McLelland and Bruce Selleck 2. Water Resources: The Unique Adirondack Aquascape Christopher P. Cirmo 3. Soils of the Adirondacks: Out of Site, Out of Mind Russell D. Brigg 4. Upland Forests of the Adirondacks: Reflections of Soils and a Record of Disturbance Charles D. Canham 5. Fish and Wildlife Communities of the Adirondacks Roland W. Kays and Robert A. Daniels 6. Wildlife Exploitation in the Adirondacks From Beavers to Biodiversity William F. Porter 7. Mining the Adirondacks James Mclelland and Bruce Selleck 8. Forestry in the Adirondacks: An Economy Built on a Handful of Species William F. Porter 9. Human Impacts from Afar: Acid Rain and Mercury Deposition in the Adirondacks Charles T. Driscoll, Kimberly M. Driscoll, Myron J. Mitchell, Dudley J. Raynal, and Karen M. Roy 10. Recreation and Tourism in the Adirondacks Chad P. Dawson 11. Great Camps and Conservation Craig Gilborn 12. Development Rates and Patterns in the Adirondacks: Paradise Lost Peter Bauer 13. Wildlife for a Wilderness: Restoring Large Predators in the Adirondacks Rainer H. Brocke Part Two | Institutions and Management of the Adirondacks Introduction: The Park in Perspective Jon D. Erickson 14. Cultural History of the Adirondack Park: From Conservation to Environmentalism Philip G. Terrie 15. Legal Structure and Defense of the Adirondack Park Robert Malmsheimer 16. Public and Private Land-Use Regulation of the Adirondack Park William F. Porter and Ross S. Whaley 17. The Early Years of the Adirondack Park Agency George D. Davis 18. The Evolution of the Department of Environmental Conservation Stuart Buchanan 19. A Land Not Saved Robert Glennon 20. Top-Down Regulation and Local Economic Autonomy John Penney 21. Lessons from the Commission on the Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century Ross S. Whaley 22. A Perspective from the Forest-Products Industry Roger Dziengeleski 23. Reflections on the Adirondack Park Agency in the Current Era Richard H. Lefebvre Part three | Many Voices, Many Opinions Introduction: Visions for the Adirondacks and Beyond Ross S. Whaley 24. Compromise, Continuity, and Crisis in the Adirondack Park: Shortcomings and Opportunities in Environmental Protection Philip G. Terrie 25. Renewing Adirondack Park Mission Through an Educational Forest Preserve: Shortcomings and Opportunities in Wilderness Preservation David Gibson 26. The Role of the People in Wilderness Preservation: Shortcomings and Opportunities in Governance Barbara McMartin 27. Public Opinion and Public Representation: Strategies in Bio-Regional Development Jon D. Erickson, Graham L. Cox, Anne M. Woods, and William F. Porter 28. The Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages: Strategies in Local Governance Dean Lefebvre 29. The Adirondack North Country Association: Strategies in Economic Development Terry Defranco Martino 30. The Adirondack Environmental Nongovernmental Organizations: Strategies in Conservation Graham L. Cox 31. Envisioning the Future of Wilderness: Public Demands and Private Lands Elizabeth Thorndike 32. Toward a New Wilderness Paradigm for Adirondack Park: The View from Bear Mountain Rainer H. Brocke 33. Can Such a Noble Endeavor Succeed? Alaska and the Adirondack Park Donald Behrend 34. The Adirondack Park in Global Perspective Bill Weber and Amy Vedder Conclusion: The Adirondack Experiment in a Full World Jon D. Erickson, William F. Porter, and Ross S. Whaley Afterword: Living Within Limits Bill McKibben

Editorial Reviews

I'd love to see this important book be required reading for every New York State legislator and opinion-maker. Alive with personal voices, it is also packed with vital information and at times justifiably angry at what we human beings have done to the Adirondacks. It reminds us of what we've lost, of what we can still save, and of what a rare treasure this extraordinary region is.

Adam Hochschild

aptures the century and a half of colorful history and vigorous debate surrounding the 6-million-acre swath of upstate New York . . . . At 600 pages, the collection of essays looks like a scholarly tome. But deft organization and well-written intros to each major section make it remarkably readable. The Great Experiment tells the fascinating and important story of the park, which is large enough to fit Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Great Smoky Mountains national parks within its borders. The book's thesis: The Adirondack region is "America's cauldron of conservation," the incubator of ideas and practices central to the country's unique wilderness ethic.

SEVEN DAYS Vermont's Independent Voice

“a compelling portrait of Adirondack Park as the epitome of the American conservation ethic at the turn of the twentieth century”

THE LEADER

[E]ngaging and clearly written by people who are passionate about what is at stake.

Bioscience

New York State's Adirondack Park (six million acres) is the largest American park south of Alaska, though only 42 percent of the land is state-owned. This thick collection of essays explores the public-private relationship that has determined its fate since its founding in 1894. More than three dozen authors of diverse backgrounds and interests-academic, political and communal-provide assessments of this experiment in both conservation and democracy. Highly Recommended.

Choice

One of the most powerful impressions left by the authors of The Great Experiment is just how fragile, complex, and improbable the Adirondack enterprise has been. After more than a century of bickering, tinkering, innovation, and compromise, the Park remains a "cauldron" bubbling with questions about stewardship and conservation.

Adirondack Explorer