Back in 1999, The Conservation Fund helped conserved 144,000 acres of forestland in Adirondack State Park as part of a 300,000-acre transaction to protect working forests in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont on the lands formerly owned by Champion Paper Company. Following another multi-year effort, the Fund and its partners have conserved an additional 257,000 acres of working forests in the park - one of the largest land conservation projects in New York state history.
DEC is proud to partner with The Conservation Fund to increase recreational access and continue sustainable forestry on these parcels so that we can further build upon our state's commitment to land preservation, public access, and supporting local economies.
The Lyme Timber Company, state of New York and The Conservation Fund completed a multi-year effort to acquire conservation easements on approximately 257,000 acres of working forestland in Adirondack State Park. The protected lands conserve sensitive wildlife habitat, protect water quality and serve as sustainably-managed, working forests to benefit the Adirondack Region’s economy.
In recent years, more than 10 million acres of private forests, including areas throughout the Northeast, have been placed on the market. Timber companies have increasingly divested themselves of lands that for decades formed the basis of the Adirondack economy and provided wildlife habitat, making these areas vulnerable to fragmentation and development for non-forest uses.
The Conservation Fund worked as the lead environmental partner on behalf of the state of New York to assess the project area’s natural resources, provide land-use recommendations and structure the conditions of the conservation easement. The Fund also provided financial risk capital to support the state’s purchase of the easement. Private support was provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation and ACE Group.
The newly conserved forestland will remain largely in private ownership, and will be managed according to Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards. The agreement restricts future development and subdivision on the property and provides for certain defined public access rights on specific portions. In addition, the project will maintain open space in the park; create new camping, hiking and other public recreation opportunities; protect major river corridors, including the St. Regis, Kunjamuck and Sacandaga and conserve critical wildlife habitat for spruce grouse, endangered bats and several rare plant bogs.
At the Fund we help save wild havens: large, natural spaces for wildlife to be exactly that—wild. Your gift ensures that wildlife, like this bear cub, has the habitat it needs to thrive.
The Garcia River Forest, a Conservation Fund-owned forest on California’s North Coast, became one of the first forests —and the largest—recognized by the California Climate Action Registry as a certified source of carbon credits.
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Powered by: Phase2 TechnologyThe Conservation Fund National Office
1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1300
Arlington, Virginia 22209-2156
Phone: 703-525-6300
Fax: 703-525-4610
Email: postmaster@conservationfund.org