News stories tagged with "finch"

(04/27/12) This week, the Cuomo administration paid out roughly $1.5 million to land trusts across the state. The money will mostly go to help with administration costs and to fund internships.

In the Adirondacks, much of the land conservation debate over the last few years has focused on historic large-scale deals orchestrated by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.

The Finch Pruyn and F ollensby projects could lead to the expansion of the Park's forest preserve by tens of thousands of acres.

But while those projects draw the spotlight, and the controversy, green groups say they're worried that smaller but important parcels of land are going unprotected. Brian Mann has our story. more

(03/22/11) The Adirondack Nature Conservancy has emerged in recent years as one of the largest owners of timberland in the North Country.

The green group uses certified logging methods designed to protect rivers and other sensitive ecosystems.

But a landowner in Essex County is accusing the Conservancy's tree-cutters of damaging a certified trout stream.

As Brian Mann reports, state officials have opened an investigation. more

(03/07/11) A prominent pro-environment group has been pushing the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board to stop commenting on the issue of state land-purchases in the Park.

The Adirondack Council argues that the state-funded Review Board doesn't have a mandate to weigh in on the issue.

But APA chairman Curt Stiles says Review Board is defending the Review Board's decision to issue a resolution opposing the Finch Pruyn and Follensby land deals.

Chris Morris has details. more

(02/18/11) Yesterday, NCPR reported that local governments in the Adirondack Park are deeply divided over the future of the Finch conservation project.

That land deal would add roughly 60,000 acres to the "forever wild" forest preserve.

One reason that the project is still so controversial, four years after it was unveiled, is that many community leaders feel that they were strong-armed into accepting it.

Other town supervisors say they felt the negotiations were fair and productive.

In part two of his special report, Brian Mann looks at the politics and the backroom talks that shaped the Finch deal. more

(04/20/10) This morning we begin a three-part series looking at the major land acquisitions that are reshaping the Adirondack Park. Hundreds of thousands of acres have changed hands in the Adirondacks, bought from private owners by New York State. This week we'll look at how those sometimes controversial deals are made, and who makes them.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced earlier this month that they will investigate the 2008 purchase of 20,000 acres in Clinton County, and tomorrow we'll look at that current controversy.

Today, we start with the big picture.
Many of these big land deals have resulted from a close partnership between the state Department of Environmental Conservation and one environmental group: the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.
Supporters praise the partnership for facilitating protection of prized lakes, mountains and open space. Critics say the relationship is too close and warrants more scrutiny. Brian Mann has our story.

(01/20/10) Governor Paterson's budget plan would slash also tens of millions of dollars from environmental and land conservation programs. In the proposal unveiled yesterday, state officials say new land purchases in the Adirondack Park should be suspended at least through 2012. The news comes at a time when the Adirondack Nature Conservancy is hoping to sell more than 50,000 acres of timberland to the state. Martha Foley has details.

(01/13/09) Governor Paterson's administration has unveiled its new Open Space Plan for New York state. This is the document that shapes much of Albany's conservation agenda. The new draft plan aims to shift the focus away from major land purchases. The 2009 version puts more weight on climate change and healthy communities. The new document comes at a time when two landmark conservation deals are still being hammered out in the Adirondacks. They include the Follensby Pond tract near Tupper Lake and the massive Finch, Pruyn project--both spearheaded by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. Adirondack bureau chief Brian Mann talked about the Open Space plan with Martha Foley.

Note: Public hearings on the Open Space plan will be held in the North Country this month, with sessions in Ray Brook and Watertown on January 22.

(08/05/08) In the deepest valleys of the Adirondack Mountains, scientists are exploring forests and wetlands that have been hidden away for decades. Researchers with New York state and the Nature Conservancy are surveying tens of thousands of acres of land acquired last year as part of the massive Finch-Pruyn deal. Discoveries made this summer will shape conservation and timber harvesting in the Adirondacks for decades. Here's part one of Brian Mann's two-part report.

(02/15/08) State environment officials and the Nature Conservancy say they've struck a deal that will protect more than 134,000 acres of timberland in the Adirondacks. The plan, unveiled late Thursday, was described as historic by DEC commissioner Pete Grannis. It will affect most of the former Finch, Pruyn lands, which the Nature Conservancy purchased last year for $110 million. 57,000 acres will be added to the state forest preserve. Another 73,000 acres will continue to be logged, but all other forms of development will be blocked by conservation easements. Most of the land lies in the towns of Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, Indian Lake, and North Hudson. State officials say it's not clear how much taxpayers will pay for the massive preservation deal. Local government leaders have raised concerns about the impact on local economies and the lack of public hearings for the project. But backers of the plan say it strikes a balance between the needs of local communities and the environment.

Brian Mann spoke with Mike Carr, head of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, and with DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis.

(02/15/08) Local government leaders don't often favor big conservation deals. But the plan unveiled Thursday drew glowing reviews from town supervisors in Indian Lake and Long Lake. Town boards haven't had a chance to review the deal in detail, but Long Lake's Greg Wallace described it as a "win-win" project. He spoke with Brian Mann.