Old Forge, NY, Dec 15, 2011 — Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo named Lani Ulrich from Old Forge to head the Adirondack Park Agency. She replaces Curt Stiles, who stepped down over the summer. Ulrich has served on the APA commission for seven years and also spearheaded the formation of a new group called the Common Ground Alliance, that has worked to defuse some of the Park's most controversial debates.

She sat down Wednesday with Brian Mann for her first in-depth interview since taking over as chair. Because of legal restrictions, Ulrich declined to answer questions about the Adirondack Club and Resort project now under review by the Agency. But she says it is time to think big about how the regulatory agency can tackle big issues that face Park communities and the environment.