Au Sable Forks, NY, Mar 16, 2010 — A landowner in the Adirondack town of Black Brook is suing the Adirondack Park agency in federal court. Leroy Douglas alleges the agency conspired illegally with the Adirondack Council and with other environmental activists. He's asking for tens of millions of dollars in compensation.

This suit follows years of tension between the APA and a group of landowners and local officials in Black Brook. Douglas argues the park agency has become "a tool of environmentalists and wealthy downstate interests." He filed a similar lawsuit in November in state court. Earlier this month, the Adirondack Council urged a judge to dismiss the state court case, arguing that it had been filed in "bad faith."

Speaking before this latest suit, Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan described Douglas's allegations as an effort to "silence" green groups in the Park. APA officials have also denied repeatedly that any illegal or improper behavior occurred.