The Adirondack Park “…is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States…” It’s protected by the NY State constitution and the publicly owned lands within it are to be kept “forever wild.” One of the many gems of the park is Lake George which Thomas Jefferson described in 1791 as “…without comparison the most beautiful water I ever saw. Its water is limpid as crystal and the mountainsides are covered with rich groves of fir, pine, aspen, and birch down to the waters edge.” Jefferson would be proud today to see that the lake is essentially as he knew it. There’s a tremendous amount of recreational hiking, camping, boating, and tourism, but the lake has been well protected over many generations.
I went to camp on the lake and climbed quite a bit in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks when I was young. I attribute much of my environmental sensibility to having been exposed to these magnificent waters, forests and mountains when I was a kid.
My wife, daughter and I spent the past several days on Lake George, mixing up the recreation with a little history and local culture. We had a boat ride from our spot on the lake out to the Narrows. While we were touring, a Great Blue Heron flew up and landed on the shoreline.
One of our half-day trips took us up to Fort Ticonderoga, a place rich in the history of the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution. Another outing was devoted to the Adirondack Museum. This is a wonderfully laid out, hugely informative tribute to the history and culture of the Adirondacks. (On a visit a few years back, we went to the Wild Center, another fantastic destination that is the natural history museum for the Adirondacks, and which was founded by a former NYSDEC colleague of mine.)
I’m reading a book on the history of the American environmental movement, A Fierce Green Fire, for a course I’ll be teaching in the fall. It was just perfect to be up before breakfast, gazing out at Lake George, and thinking about how committed environmentalists have worked so hard for over a hundred years to preserve the earth, air, and water.
