ADK Celebrates State Partners

Strong partnerships are essential to protecting the Adirondacks and ensuring people can experience the outdoors responsibly. The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) works closely with partners across New York State to advance shared goals of conservation, stewardship, and public access to the outdoors. 

Leadership from Governor Kathy Hochul and members of the New York State Senate and Assembly continues to strengthen this work through investments in the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). These investments support projects and programs that improve air quality, safeguard clean drinking water, expand parks and trails, advance environmental justice, protect wildlife habitat, reduce pollution, and preserve farms and forests across New York. 

The EPF directly supports ADK by helping fund the Summit Stewardship Program, our professional trail crew, Route 73 Trailhead Stewardship Program, and interpretive staff at the High Peaks Information Center. 

The EPF also funds the Park and Trail Partnership Grants program. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), in partnership with Parks & Trails New York, administers grants from the program. In 2026, ADK was awarded $80,000 from this program for an Interpretive Facilities Educator position that will engage visitors in safety and rescue prevention conversations, communicate rules and regulations for recreation on state lands, and support ADK’s overarching mission. 

Like the OPHRP, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been a consistent and reliable partner with ADK for the past several decades. 

Since 1989, ADK and DEC have partnered on the Summit Stewardship Program, which was founded with the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy in response to alarming declines of alpine habitat in the latter half of the 20th century. 

This program educates the public about alpine ecosystems, maintains trails above treeline, and performs scientific research. Since 1989, summit stewards have educated 738,547 visitors. 

More recently, ADK and DEC partnered to create the Route 73 Trailhead Stewardship Program in 2024. This program stations educators at popular trailheads along the busy Route 73 corridor, including Cascade, the Garden, Rooster Comb, and Giant, as well as several rock climbing destinations. 

These partnerships highlight the impact of collaboration between ADK and New York State agencies. With continued support from the Environmental Protection Fund and partners like DEC and OPRHP, ADK can expand education and stewardship efforts while helping ensure the Adirondacks remain protected and accessible for future generations.