Backcountry Stewardship Programs

To be fair, all of our supporting members are stewards. However, some folks have chosen to commit themselves to “walking the walk” by giving back to the places they love with their own time and labor. ADK is committed to creating these opportunities and supporting the folks who are a part of them. Each of the programs offered is supported by an Adopt-a-Natural Resource (AANR) agreement through the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The following is a breakdown of the club-wide programs we offer, and how to get involved.

Click here to view a schedule of supervised volunteer projects.

ADOPT A LEAN-TO: With over 140 adopters in 2006 and 148 Lean-tos in the program, the Adopt-a-Lean-to Program has become a great success since it’s inception in 1986. Adopters visit their respective Lean-tos at least twice a season to perform basic maintenance and clean-up duties, maintain registers, and make note of more major repairs needed. Many adopters will also assist DEC staff to complete more intensive projects such as roof replacement, privy relocation, and structural work.

                                                                                     ADK volunteers building a lean-to


Lean-tos up for adoption are listed each spring in the March-April issue of Adirondac magazine. For the 2007 list of open and adopted Lean-To's please click here.  For more information please contact: John Schneider, Lean-To adoption Coordinator , 6 Nonchalant Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.    Leanto@adk.org

TRAIL STEWARDS: The Trail Steward program currently involves 55 sections of adopted trail and approximately 60 adopters. Trail Stewards have been doing the critical routine maintenance to keep trails sustainable since 1988. With the massive backlog of work needed on trails throughout the Forest Preserve, Trail Stewards are of great benefit to our wild areas. In addition to keeping the trails open by clearing brush and cutting blowdown, stewards also work to offset erosion by keeping drainages clear. Their annual reports and


Trail Steward removing blowdown from the Van Hoevenburg Trail

regular observations are passed along to the regional DEC foresters to assist them in determining where more intensive trail projects are required. For the 2007 list of open and adopted trails please click here.  For more information and to become involved, please contact: Herbert Coles, Trail Steward Coordinator, 136 Beach 117th St. Ocean Grande Unit 201 (2A), Rockaway Park, NY 11694.  
june.-.herb@worldnet.att. net *note: In an effort to avoid spam, please delete the space between . and net in your email editor of choice.

 

ADOPT-A-WILDLAND: With 3 million acres of public land within the “blue line” there are a lot of special spots that don’t always get the attention they need. Wildland adopters are folks that can take time to visit some of these potentially less traveled areas and report back on their condition. Jack Freeman, 11-year member of ADKs conservation staff and former Adopt-a-Wildland coordinator, states:

“This would not be principally a work program such as the already established Adopt-a-Trail (now called Trail Steward) program or

                                                                            Eastern Great Range from Basin Mountain
                                                                                          in the High Peaks Region

the Adopt-a-Lean-to program. Rather, Wilderness (now Wildland) adoption would be concerned with observation and reporting to DEC of conditions within the adopter's selected unit."

Wildland adopters are the eyes on the ground where DEC staff seldom gets to visit. Several Chapters have adopted large areas and make regular visits to note their condition. The one “work” aspect of Wildland adoption has been the successful location and removal of dumpsites, and other littered areas. For more information and to become involved, please contact: Bill Ingersoll, Adopt-a-Wildland Coordinator.

hikerbill30@msn.com