Jul 22, 2004 — For more than thirty years, Barbara McMartin has been one of the Adirondack Park's leading thinkers and conservationists. Though often controversial, McMartin is more than a gadfly. Her books on the policy and history of the region have influenced a generation of politicians and activists. Until recently, she chaired the state's Forest Preserve Advisory committee. Her popular guidebooks have led hikers and paddlers into the remotest corners of the mountains. McMartin's latest book - which she describes as her last - details the complex history of private land ownership in the Park. The Privately Owned Adirondacks was written while she struggled with cancer. Brian Mann visited Barbara McMartin recently at her home in Canada Lake, to her talk about the book, her life and the future of the Adirondack Park.

NOTE: McMartin is scheduled to speak about her book Monday evening, July 27, 2004, at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake.