Vote Yes on Proposition 1
This upcoming election on November 4, New York State voters will be asked to vote yes or no on an amendment to acquire 2500 acres in the Adirondack State Park to remain forever wild in exchange for permitting development on 323 acres of park land at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Winter Sports Complex.
The Adirondack Council, a trusted partner of the New York Audubon State Council, supports a yes vote. They call it a win-win for the environment and for tourism.
Be sure to turn your ballot over to see the proposition
This is almost as complicated as the proposition you will find on your ballot.
First, Adirondack State Park is already a mix of privately developed land and state controlled forever wild parkland. Any changes to existing land use need an amendment to the New York State constitution. This amendment was placed on the ballot by an overwhelmingly non-partisan yes vote in the state legislature.
Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Winter Sports Complex already occupies about 1000 acres. It is the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics and continues to be a center for winter sports. Tourism is an important economic support for its surrounding communities.
An additional 2500 acres for the Adirondack State Park would benefit its goal of keeping more park land “forever wild.”
Here is the Adirondack Council’s position on Prop 1:
This is the best-case scenario for both the human and ecological communities of the Adirondacks: it protects wildlands while an historic attraction continues to host world-class sporting events, drawing athletes and visitors from the region and around the world. This issue underscores how the Adirondack Park serves as a global model for how strong communities and world-class wildlands are inextricably linked and reliant on each other for success. New Yorkers get the best of the Adirondacks when wildlands are preserved and communities flourish alongside one another.