ALBANY - Two nonprofit groups that advocate to protect the Adirondack Mountains are considering merging in an effort to create a single, more influential organization.
The Residents' Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, formed in 1990, and the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, founded in 1901, said the discussions are in early stages, and they have set no deadlines.
In an announcement Monday, they said five trustees from each group are examining whether they could be more effective and efficient together.
The committee claims more than 2,500 household memberships, while the association has about 2,500 to 3,000 members.
“There's a very big Adirondack conservation agenda in front of us right now. We're all looking at the best way to tackle some of these issues: climate change, the need for clean water, threats from development, invasive species. It's a long list,” said Michael Washburn, executive director of the residents committee.
“We think it's a high likelihood that a new entity with a possible combined membership of 5,000 and the strength that both organizations bring to bear could have a very meaningful impact on the park,” Washburn said. “That's not to suggest that we don't already. But we've got big challenges. We probably need some new approaches to meet those challenges.”
One of his group's assets is members who actually live in the park, while the association brings both venerable history and political clout, Washburn said.
They share parallel conservation perspectives, have some complementary programs and would have a combined annual budget of about $1 million, he said.
David Gibson, executive director of the association, said the groups have worked closely together since 1990 or 1991. “If we do combine, we're really trying to do something that's meaningful for the Adirondacks so our forces are not just a combination of the two but more than the sum,” he said.
The committee, based in Saranac Lake, promotes working forests through a timber certification program under the Forest Stewardship Council. Its Adirondack Lake Assessment Program monitors water quality of more than 80 lakes. The association's educational programs include Adirondack Park stewardship training, and its headquarters in Niskayuna, near Albany, includes the Adirondack Research Library.
Both monitor the Adirondack Forest Preserve, which covers almost half of the 6-million acre Adirondack Park and state measures affecting land use and development as well as communities in the park.
In an announcement Monday, they said five trustees from each group are examining whether they could be more effective and efficient together.
The committee claims more than 2,500 household memberships, while the association has about 2,500 to 3,000 members.
“There's a very big Adirondack conservation agenda in front of us right now. We're all looking at the best way to tackle some of these issues: climate change, the need for clean water, threats from development, invasive species. It's a long list,” said Michael Washburn, executive director of the residents committee.
“We think it's a high likelihood that a new entity with a possible combined membership of 5,000 and the strength that both organizations bring to bear could have a very meaningful impact on the park,” Washburn said. “That's not to suggest that we don't already. But we've got big challenges. We probably need some new approaches to meet those challenges.”
One of his group's assets is members who actually live in the park, while the association brings both venerable history and political clout, Washburn said.
They share parallel conservation perspectives, have some complementary programs and would have a combined annual budget of about $1 million, he said.
David Gibson, executive director of the association, said the groups have worked closely together since 1990 or 1991. “If we do combine, we're really trying to do something that's meaningful for the Adirondacks so our forces are not just a combination of the two but more than the sum,” he said.
The committee, based in Saranac Lake, promotes working forests through a timber certification program under the Forest Stewardship Council. Its Adirondack Lake Assessment Program monitors water quality of more than 80 lakes. The association's educational programs include Adirondack Park stewardship training, and its headquarters in Niskayuna, near Albany, includes the Adirondack Research Library.
Both monitor the Adirondack Forest Preserve, which covers almost half of the 6-million acre Adirondack Park and state measures affecting land use and development as well as communities in the park.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.