Environment DEC
From the September 2008 issue
New Adirondack-Based Institute Will Study Northern Forests
The "northern forest" region extends from Lake Ontario at Tug Hill eastward through northern New England.
The historic Masten House in Newcomb, Essex County, will be the site of a new leadership and training institute that focuses on the research and management of northern forests--the Northern Forest Institute for Conservation Education and Leadership Training. The facility will educate and train policymakers, business leaders and educators to guide future decisions and learn more about the 25 million acres of forested land that blanket portions of four northeastern states. The institute will be operated by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).
The "northern forest" extends from Lake Ontario at Tug Hill, across the Adirondacks to northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The institute's location is adjacent to the Adirondack High Peaks Region and includes the historic town of Adirondac, which has a rich industrial and cultural heritage.
Cooperative Effort
DEC will contribute $1.6 million to fund SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) research at the Institute. Above is Dr. William Potter, Director of ESF's Adirondack Ecological Center.
The project is a cooperative effort that will enhance forest preserve and wildlands management research and contribute to the local economy. ESF will run the Northern Forest Institute (NFI) on a 46-acre portion of a property owned by the Open Space Institute's (OSI) Open Space Conservancy and leased on a long-term basis to the college for $1 a year. Establishment of the institute is being aided by a $1 million grant from Empire State Development to OSI and $125,000 from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to ESF. In addition, DEC has committed $1.6 million over the next four years to ESF scientists who will conduct three research projects based on visitor demand, experiences and impacts, as well as a training program for DEC employees responsible for managing recreational visits to New York State forest preserve lands.
Comprehensive Facility
The NFI will focus on meeting the educational and research needs of professional audiences, including representatives of state agencies, business leaders and educators. The institute also will serve the general public, particularly college and secondary school students.It will incorporate three facilities in the central Adirondacks. The Arbutus Great Camp and the Carriage House at the Adirondack Ecological Center, both donated to ESF by Archer and Anna Huntington in the 1930s, will provide housing and conference facilities. These buildings are several miles to the southwest of the Masten House, which will be renovated to also provide housing, conference space and facilities for educational programming. Complete development of the NFI is expected to cost up to $13.5 million.
In addition to the OSI and DEC, partners in the project include the Adirondack Park Agency, the Town of Newcomb, the Adirondack Museum, the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks and the Association for Protection of the Adirondacks.
