Record Conservation Land Purchase Saves Forests in Adirondack Park

Back to Map Page December, 1998 New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire to gain 300,000 acres of conservation lands Albany, NY In early December one of the largest and most expensive conservation-oriented land deals ever was arranged for nearly 300,000 acres of land in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Included in the agreement were 29,000 acres of forests, wetlands, and shorelines being added to New York's Adirondack Park, plus conservation agreements on 110,000 acres within the Park region. Another 133,000 acres will be preserved in Vermont, and 18,000 acres in New Hampshire. All together these lands have a price tag of $76 million. The land is being sold by the logging and paper corporation Champion International in a deal arranged by the Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based organization that arranges land purchases for conservation purposes. Because of this agreement the land will be available for wildlife habitat and for hiking, canoeing, and other recreational activities, rather than being sold to private development or logging interests. Some of this area will become accessible to the public for the first time in more than a century.   Lands included in sale shown in red .   Much of the acquired land is ecologically sensitive river and lake shore. Although the amount of land involved in the sale is unusual, it is the high cost of the land and the method used to raise the money make the agreement especially notable. The Conservation Fund met the high purchase price by assembling a disparate group of public and private groups to help with a complex set of financing and land exchange agreements. State governments, a private conservation-oriented logging company, private investors, and philanthropic organizations all provided portions of the $76 million. This arrangement allowed the Conservation Fund to out-bid the logging corporations and developers expected to acquire the land when it was put on the market last year. Also innovative was the arrangement to devote large areas to environmentally-friendly logging, rather than to strict conservation. This means that large areas will be privately owned, but agreements with state governments will prohibit clear-cuts and will specify logging techniques that will protect habitat and allow public access. Areas designated for logging will contribute to local rural economies with much less environmental damage than with conventional logging techniques. Unlike many state and national parks, the Adiraondack park is a large patchwork of public and private lands. Although the majority of lands within the park region (see map) are owned by the state of New York for purposes of conservation, recreation, and water quality protection, population growth and economic pressure have brought increasing development to the extensive lands that are still privately held. The acceleration of development and the loss of wildife habitat have alarmed the many citizen groups that use the area for hiking, camping, canoeing, and birdwatching. Until the Conservation Fund arranged the current deal, the Champion land was widely expected to be subdivided and sold for summer home and cottage development. For further information, see these related web sites: Adirondack Park online news Sept 1998 Adirondack Journal, from the Adirondack Mountain Club  Related conservation news/issues from the Wilderness Society To read more, see Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 5th ed. Parks and nature preserves: pages 318-320 Environmental Science, Enger and Smith, 6th ed. Recreational land uses: pages 232-235 Back to Map Page feedback form | permissions | international | locate your campus rep | request a review copy digital solutions | publish with us | customer service | mhhe home Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of the The McGraw-Hill Companies.