ADK C.A.R.E.S. Do you? We’re hoping you do!
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ADK is the only organization that protects the very environment it assists hundreds of thousands of people each year to play in. Outdoor enthusiasts rely on ADK guide books for accurate information to get them to their destination and back safely. ADK trail crews maintain many of these trails.
ADK is the only Adirondack organization that led the fight against hydro-fracking, beginning with Allegany State Park. ADK secured the greatest protections available under the Park management law, successfully preventing gas and oil exploration beneath 80 percent of this wilderness Park. ADK won passage of three legislative bills meant to prevent the oil and gas companies from drilling on public park lands such as Allegany State Park. Elsewhere, ADK’s legal challenge was successful in classifying Lows Lake as a wilderness lake.
ADK is the only organization whose mission includes getting people of all ages to engage in outdoor human-powered recreation. Why? Because ADK believes that when people play in the wild lands, forests and waters of this great state, they become aware of the beauty, pristine features, serenity, and sense of place they offer us.
ADK’s lodges and properties host approximately 35,000 guests each year. Heart Lake Program Center staff, interns, and volunteers provided guided hikes and special interpretive programs, and JBL provides a complete backcountry Adirondack lodging experience with great trail access. Fun is our middle name. Playing is good for us. Chapter members and those of you who experience Adventure Outings know this. Add the health benefits for good measure!
ADK’s fights “nature deficit disorder” in young people, a growing phenomenon since the turn of the century. “Three Seasons at Heart Lake,” ADK’s elementary school outreach program, teaches children to enjoy the natural world and creates opportunities for them to develop an appreciation for the special place in which they live. ADK teaches young people to CARE. ADK formally instituted its education affiliate program linking ADK Chapters with colleges and universities, engaging students in outdoor recreation and environmental activism.
ADK Summit Stewards reached 19,211 people this year (a new record after 21 years!). In 2011, these five people climbed the most heavily traveled peaks to talk to hikers about all things alpine, from the importance of staying on the trail to protect the fragile alpine plant growth to preparedness, safety, and Leave No Trace ethics. Most importantly, based upon sound research, this type of outreach--one on one--has been found to be the most effective approach to wilderness resource protection.
All these programs, working together, integral to one another, keep the “wild” in wilderness.