For Immediate Release: July 11, 2024
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
Board Approves Solar Facility Permit and Hears Presentations on Workforce Development and Trout Monitoring
RAY BROOK, NY – At the July Agency meeting, the Adirondack Park Agency Board approved a permit authorizing the development of a community solar facility, heard a presentation about workforce development in Adirondack communities, and was briefed about efforts to monitor and conserve the Adirondack Park’s trout populations.
First, the Board approved a permit authorizing the development of a 10MW-AC community solar generation facility near Vineyard Road and Pearl Street in the Town of Crown Point. The project includes a fixed-tilt, ground-mounted solar array with two separately fenced areas. More details about each project can be read online.
Next, the Board heard a presentation from Leslie Karasin, Adirondack Program Director for the Northern Forest Center, about efforts to recruit and retain young people in Adirondack communities. As part of this, she highlighted recent work in Elizabethtown and Tupper Lake to renovate middle income housing properties with the goal of building robust populations that lead to thriving communities and higher qualities of life.
Finally, the Adirondack Park Agency was provided with a joint overview of trout monitoring and conservation programs in the Adirondacks from Steve Hurst, NYS DEC Chief of Fisheries, and Dr. Tommy Detmer, Cornell University Adirondack Fishery Research Program Senior Research Associate. Steve Hurst presented about a new draft Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Plan that will be released for public comment later this summer. The plan will serve as a conservation roadmap for the next 15 years to help preserve and protect populations of this iconic species of fish, which is an integral part of the Adirondack Park’s natural heritage.
Then, Dr. Detmer discussed how the browning and warming of Adirondack lakes is limiting the habitat available to brook trout. As a part of this, he showed how long-term monitoring results indicate that Adirondack lakes are warming, becoming more tea-stained, and suffering oxygen depletion at the bottom. This, in turn, is putting habitat constraints on brook trout, which impacts both the species and anglers.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law.