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2022 Mid-Season Summit Steward Report
Happy August! Summit stewards have been rocking it. The weather has been good to us this year with lots of sunshine although there have been some heat waves. ADK has continued to enact safety protocols in line with state and federal guidelines due to the pandemic. We were able to hire a full crew of four summit stewards, one chief steward, and one Photopoint Monitoring Field Tech. This is the second year of sampling for our Photopoint Monitoring Project. In 2021 we resampled the 59 preexisting photopoints and put in new photopoint locations focused on recently damaged areas on Marcy, Skylight, and Colden using our revamped methodology. This year we’ve continued adding new photopoints to give us baseline data and see how management actions in the alpine zone are aiding with our revegetation efforts.
2021 Summit Steward End of Season Report
In our 32nd year, the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program has adapted and continued to protect the alpine ecosystem and expand our outreach through new avenues. With changing state and federal guidelines and an increased understanding of the pandemic, we were able to safely hire a full crew of five summit stewards and one Photopoint Monitoring Field Tech. Exciting new changes this year include revamping our photopoint monitoring methodology and facilitating fire tower stewardship on Hurricane Mountain to increase our educational outreach.
2020 Summit Steward End of Season Report
In our 31st year, the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program dealt with some unique challenges. Not only did summit stewards have to impliment new risk-management strategies due to COVID-19 but they also saw an increase in novice hikers, people trying to safely recreate due to the coronavirus. This resulted in an increase in recreational impacts which included illegal camping on summits, campfire impacts, human-wildlife conflicts and vegetation damage from hikers going off trail. It also created an amazing opprotunity for stewards to instill a wildland ethic and introduce them to Leave No Trace outdoor skills and ethics. The value in wild places and the necessity of stewardship is resonating with a whole new audience. Summit stewards educated 28,605 hikers this year, making our total contacts since the start of the program 585,484.
SUMMIT STEWARDS EDUCATED RECORD NUMBER OF HIKERS IN 2019
November 14, 2019 – This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program, a partnership between the Adirondack Mountain Club, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Summit stewards protect New York’s alpine ecosystem through education, trail maintenance and research. We had the opportunity to host two major events this year, the 2019 Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering and the Leave No Trace Hot Spot, helping us celebrate our accomplishments over the last 30 years. Summit stewards educated 39,939 hikers this year, a new record for the program, making our total contacts since the start of the program 556,879.
IN PICTURES: THE 11th NORTHEASTERN ALPINE STEWARDSHIP GATHERING
October 30, 2019 – Last weekend researchers, land managers, and advocates came together to discuss alpine ecosystems at the 11th Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering. After an introductory evening on Friday with guest speaker Tom Butler, participants spent all-day Saturday presenting on recent research and projects covering all of the major alpine ecosystems in the northeast, including Quebec. The day concluded with a presentation from Ben Lawhon, education director for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Despite poor weather most of the field trips planned for Sunday ran, including a visit to the start of the new Cascade Mountain trail.
NEW LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCED FOR ADIRONDACK HIGH PEAKS SUMMIT STEWARDSHIP ENDOWMENT
Keene Valley, NY – April, 2019 – Leadership of The #507 Fund for the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program at the Adirondack Foundation has been transferred from its founder Christine Bourjade to Vinny McClelland of The Mountaineer, effective in 2019. The #507 Fund, with a current working balance of $150,000, was established in August 2014 as a tribute to Dr. Edwin Ketchledge and his 46er number.
SUMMIT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM MILESTONE: HALF A MILLION HIKERS EDUCATED ON HIGH PEAKS
This summer, the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program reached a new milestone, educating half a million hikers on New York’s tallest mountains in its 29 year history. The Summit Stewardship Program is a partnership of ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club), the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Summit Stewards protect New York’s alpine ecosystem through education, trail work, and research.
ADK AUTHORS HONORED IN 2018 INDIE BOOK AWARDS
Lake George, NY—August 5, 2018—Adirondack Archangels: Guardians of the High Peaks, by Christine Bourjade and Alex Radmanovich of New Russia, NY, and Montreal, Quebec, has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of the best indie books of 2018. The book is published by ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club).
Adirondack Mountain Club’s Julia Goren, Receives Guy Waterman Alpine Steward Award
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is pleased to announce that Education Director Julia Goren received the 2016 Guy Waterman Alpine Steward Award. This award is given annually to a person or organization who has demonstrated a long term commitment to protecting the physical and spiritual qualities of the mountain wilderness of the Northeast United States.
The Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program receives the New York State Environmental Excellence Award: Adirondack Mountain Club and The Nature Conservancy Adirondack Chapter honored at event on November 15, 2016.
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy are pleased to announce that the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program was awarded the coveted New York State Environmental Excellence Award at a ceremony on November 15, 2016, at Union College.
#The #507 Fund to support Adirondack High Peak Summit Stewardship Program reaches $105,000
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is pleased to announce that the #507 Fund for Summit Stewardship, an endowment fund held at the Adirondack Foundation, has raised more than $105,000 to support the High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program. A commitment from the Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter of $15,000 over five years and a challenge gift from ADK’s Finger Lakes Chapter will help the fund continue to grow.
#507 Fund Supports Alpine Stewardship
(Published by The Nature Conservancy Adirondack Chapter - Page 6) Dr. Edwin Ketchledge (1924–2010), known fondly as Ketch, was a passionate botanist, teacher and researcher who founded an innovative program to protect the fragile plants atop the highest Adirondack mountains.
#507 Fund supports Summit Stewardship Program
(Adirondack Foundation) Like the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program (SSP) itself, the #507 Fund began as a small, grassroots effort with a broad base of support from organizations passionate about protecting the Adirondack Mountains.
#507 Endowment Fund for Summit Stewardship Program
Honors Prof. Ed Ketchledge
Published by Adirondac Magazine, the ADK's membership magazine, March-April 2015 issue.
Adirondack Summit Steward endowment gains traction
(November 21, 2014) SARANAC LAKE - A new endowment to expand the Adirondack High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program is gaining support. The goal is for the endowment, called #507 Fund, to reach $ 1million. It was launched in August through the Adirondack Foundation.
#507 Fund Honors Ketch, Protects Summits
(November 13, 2014) In August of 1968, Edwin Ketchledge finished climbing the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks and received his 46er number, #507. Dr. Ketchledge (“Ketch”) was no ordinary peak-bagger. He was a professor of botany at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
Dr. Edwin Ketchledge honored
On November 3, 2014, the Essex County Board of supervisors (18) honored Dr. Edwin Ketchledge (1924-2010, Forty-Sixers #507) life dedication to the Adirondack Mountains alpine summit preservation and the value of the Summit Stewardship Program unanimously adopting Resolution No. 287!
Summit steward program gets a boost
(November 1, 2014) Published in weekly Lake Placid News October 30, 2014 and in Adirondack Daily Enterprise Saturday edition of November 1, 2014.
Professor Ketchledge: An Inspiration for #507 Fund
Published by Today@ADK October 31, 2014.
