LOCALadk Magazine

Fall 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 7 LOCALadk Message From The Editor Recently I was able to experience the wonders of the Adirondacks through the eyes of a ver y excited 3-year- old. My great-niece Hadley visited our camp, which has been in my family for 50 years, and with arms wide open proclaimed loudly, "I love it here!" She spent four days with us, and in that time went swimming, tried a paddle board, searched for toads and frogs and anything else that crawls, caught a big bass, explored a favorite hiking trail, made loon calls, and had many more adventures. Her waking hours are spent on the move and chatting up a storm. I am entertained by some of her inquisitive "why" questions. " Why do caterpillars want to become butterflies? " " Why do I need to make sure the toad has enough air? " She obser ves things from a fresh perspective and is eager to tr y anything new. Hadley's mom keeps a close eye on her, but also allows her enough freedom to really explore and learn about the world around her. Although Hadley does not live in the Adirondacks, she is lucky to spend a fair amount of time at family camps in the Park. I believe this time has already imprinted on her a love of bugs, water, trees, snow, loons, and huge mud puddles. She gets excited at the words "we are going to camp." Her mom and I smile at this, as we both know we feel the same way. Hadley's excitement for the Adirondacks confirms how important it is to do what we can now to protect the Park for all generations. Today it is evident that others agree due to the existence of so many organizations and programs focused on doing just that. Whether the groups advocate for the water ways, trees, bees, fire towers, buildings, loons, trails, air quality, land tracts, and so on, the people involved are focused on the future and invest- ed in keeping the Adirondacks pure. I encourage all of our readers—who love the Adirondacks—to do their part in keeping it pure for future gen- erations. That can be something as simple as picking up trash along our water ways and trails. Our actions have reactions, and if we all do our part and continue to teach kids to do the same, then there is hope for generations to come. The call of the loon is one of my favorite Adirondack sounds, but this summer the call of Hadley (being a loon) was a little sweeter. LOC ALadk is committed to doing what we can to ensure the Park remains a special place for all to explore and discover. Happy fall, Anne Brewer Editor/Owner Keeping it LOC AL campaign will donate to Adirondack Foothills Trails Alliance (AFTA) adkfta.org

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