Photo by Jarmo Piironen

The Adirondack Land Trust regularly evaluates responsibilities and opportunities to address the region’s most pressing challenges. Our current strategic plan identifies 15 goals in four major impact areas: LAND, WATER, COMMUNITY, CLIMATE. The plan outlines where we believe we can make the biggest difference—given our experience, skills and relationships—for the Adirondacks, all of its inhabitants, and all of the people who love it.

Land

  • Keep the character of the Adirondack forest intact and healthy at a parkwide scale.
  • Sustain lands that enhance our region’s rural landscape and economy, viable livelihoods and Adirondack Park aesthetics.
  • Work to conserve the full suite of biodiversity native to the region.
  • Advocate for public policies that support Adirondack land conservation.

Water

  • Work to ensure that Adirondack communities have clean water, and to improve water quality by protecting natural buffers.
  • Secure ecologically sustainable access to rivers, lakes and ponds, especially in communities that lack access.
  • Protect the quality and undeveloped character of streams, lakes and wetlands.

Community

  • Strengthen recreational and other connections between communities and protected lands.
  • Engage more people in land protection through educational outreach to landowners, partners and diverse constituencies.
  • Lead Adirondack region land trusts—as a collaborative partner, mentor and source of technical assistance.
  • Advocate for public policies that support sustainable Adirondack economies and recreation.

Climate

  • Mitigate global climate change by offsetting greenhouse gas emissions while expanding protection of large forests.
  • Link highly climate-resilient areas inside the Adirondack Park and protect wildlife stepping stones in major migration corridors spanning the park periphery.
  • Protect headwaters, wetlands and shorelines with high potential to buffer climate change impacts on freshwater.
  • Work with communities and energy developers to identify and secure sites suitable for renewable energy generation.