Join with PROTECT staff and other Adirondack organizations to advocate State Legislators in Albany for Adirondack Park-specific funding! If you are interested in participating in the Adirondack Park Lobby Day, register online using the registration form below to attend or call the office at (518) 251-2700. Please register soon to ensure that you have a spot on one of the teams for our Adirondack Park Lobby Day in Albany. This is a great opportunity to stand up for the Forest Preserve and Adirondack Park.
Join us at the State New York State Capitol on February 26, 2024.
We will gather at 9:30A.M in room 7 of the Concourse to hear from environmental leaders about our lobbying priorities. Afterwards we will break into groups, with a point person for each group, to meet with various Legislators in the Senate and Assembly. Guidance and lobbying materials will be provided to each participant so that we have concise and consistent talking points. The meetings with Legislators will probably last for a few hours.
Meet in Concourse Room 7 in the Empire State Plaza.
Lobby Day 2024 Agenda
Here’s the tentative agenda:
9:30 AM: Check-in (Concourse, Room 7)
10:00 AM: Welcome and morning program
11:00 AM – 3:30 PM: Meetings with elected officials and staff (with break for lunch)
3:30 PM: Debrief/Wrap Up
We need you with us in Albany to show state leaders that there is strong grassroots support for environmental protection in the Adirondacks!
Funding Priorities We Want in the Budget
The funding that we will be requesting includes, among other critical programs, funds for:
- Land stewardship and acquisition in the Park (especially to meet the goals of the State’s 30 by 30 law).
- State Land Stewardship funding for the Forest Preserve, including $1 million to fund a carrying capacity study on the Saranac Chain of Lakes, which has been required for decades but never completed and is needed now more than ever because of increasing development pressures.
- Municipal water and sewer upgrade funding along with expanded funding for septic replacement grant program.
- Funding for the Timbuctoo Summer Climate and Career Institute.
- Vital institutions like the Adirondack Experience, Visitors Interpretive Centers at SUNY ESF Newcomb Campus and at the Paul Smith’s College VIC, Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College.
- Support for the Survey of Climate Change and Adirondack Lakes Ecosystems (SCALE) study
- Invasive species prevention.
Click here to read a joint letter from Protect the Adirondacks and other groups outlining Adirondack Park priorities for the new 2024-2025 state budget.
Click here for materials about Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed state budget.
Click here for a summarized breakdown of the Governor’s proposed budget for the Environmental Protection Fund.
Legislative Priorities We Want the Legislature to Pass
Our legislative priorities for this session include a new wolf protection bill that has been introduced in both houses, and the passing the wildlife crossings bill in both houses (last year it passed in the Senate but not the Assembly). We also support a few other environmental bills including one that will streamline the title review process when the State purchases new property, and a transportation bill that will require training and reporting on the use of road salt.
Wolf Protection Legislation: Wolves are endangered species protected by federal and NYS law. The new wolf protection bill (S.7927/A.8295), sponsored by Senator Hoylman-Sigal with co-sponsor Senator Harckham in the Senate and sponsored by Assembly Member Carroll and co-sponsored by Assembly Members Colton and Reyes in the Assembly, will provide enhanced protection to wolves by requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct a DNA test on animals that could be wolves and, when those animals are determined to be wolves, DEC must take action to protect wolves in that area from being killed in the future. Click here to read more about this legislation.
Wildlife Crossings Legislation: The wildlife crossings bill (S.4198/A.4243), sponsored by Senator Comrie and Assembly Member Carroll, will direct the NYS Department of Transportation (“DOT”) to identify sites along all highways, thruways, and parkways where wildlife crossings are most needed to increase public safety and improve habitat connectivity. The bill will also direct DOT to create a priority list of wildlife crossing opportunity areas where federal funds could be used for priority projects. Wildlife crossings are structures, such as overpass bridges, underpass tunnels, and culverts, that enable wildlife to safely cross roads. One key roadway that needs to be prioritized for wildlife crossings is the Adirondack Northway (I-87) because of its high rate of travel, and its dissection of the Adirondack Park from critical habitat in the northeast. Click here to read more about this legislation.
Road Salt Pollution Controls: Protect the Adirondacks believes that the only way to make real changes in road salt policy is to change the law. We believe that the Environmental Conservation Law must be changed to regulate the use of road salt on state and local roads. New York State also needs a chloride water quality standard, similar to other states in the Northeast. PROTECT is advocating for these changes.
Sign up for 2024 Adirondack Park Lobby Day
Registration is closed for this event.
