We know the Adirondack forest as a fantastic place for recreation and enjoyment of nature and conservation. This was not always the truth, when the Adirondack Park was created in 1892 by the State of New York – this diverse mountain landscape was a wild place. The forest was full of pristine waterways, boreal forests and the towering Adirondack Mountains. It was a land ripe for cultivation or conservation, and it was already on the brink of wide-spread deforestation and a decision needed to be made before it was lost forever.
In 1894 that the Adirondack Forest Preserve was established and recognized as a constitutionally protected Forever Wild area. Of the Adirondack Park’s 6 million acres, 2.6 million acres are owned by the state. The remaining 3.4 million acres are privately owned.
Within the Adirondack Region is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. It is also home to 105 towns and villages. There is often a misperception that the Adirondack Park is a national or state park, yet the region’s mix of public and private land allow for conservation and civilization to thrive.
