LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 12 A Future Preserved: The VIC's 2,800 Acres of Promise Provided by the Adirondack Land Trust The Adirondack Land Trust and Paul Smith's College on July 1, 2025, announced that they are working together to protect 2,800 acres surrounding the col- lege's Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC). The Adirondack Land Trust is raising the $4.1 million needed to finalize the purchase of a conservation easement by December 31, 2025. By limiting develop- ment and other land uses, the conservation easement will ensure that the VIC forestlands remain as intact, working forests forever. This northern Adirondack property ranges in eleva- tion from 1,596 feet above sea level at the outlet of an unnamed pond along Keese Mills Road to 2,488 feet at the summit of Jenkins Mountain and borders more than 100,000 acres of protected lands. It features Barnum Brook, Heron Marsh, Long and Black ponds, and Osgood Pond shoreline, and provides habitat for black-backed woodpecker, boreal chickadee, bobcat, moose, and other wildlife. Visited by an estimated 35,000 visitors per year, the VIC forestlands offer outstanding outdoor recreation and nature appreciation opportunities and contribute to the college's annual economic impact of $56 mil- lion. The natural features protected by the easement include: • Mixed northern hardwood forests • 15 water bodies and a self-sustaining population of heritage-strain brook trout • 9 miles of natural shoreline • Lowland boreal bogs where white-fringed or- chids grow and deep peatlands store carbon "The countless 'firsts' that happen on the VIC for- estlands—a kid's first diagonal stride on cross-country skis, a birder's first scarlet tanager sighting, a stu- dent's introduction to Adirondack ecosystems—tell a powerful story," says Adirondack Land Trust Executive Director Mike Carr. "That's the real magic of connect- ing with place. Now, thanks to the college's foresight and deep commitment, everyone who loves this land can be a part of securing its lasting conservation." "We are deeply grateful to the Adirondack Land Trust for making it possible to extend the College's long-standing commitment to land stewardship through this conservation easement. For decades, Paul Smith's College has cared for these lands as a living classroom for our students and as a treasured resource for the broader community. This partnership ensures that our students, faculty, visitors, and neigh- bors will continue to explore, study, and enjoy these forests and waters—now with the added assurance that they will be protected forever," says Paul Smith's College President Dr. Dan Kelting. Paul Smith's College continues to own the land. Under the conservation easement, the Adirondack Land Trust has a legal responsibility to uphold the ecological objectives of the easement to ensure that natural systems are protected. Going forward, the VIC forestlands can continue to provide educational and Sunrise over Black Pond, part of the conser vation ease- ment in the VIC forestlands. Photo credit: Eric Adsit Lands and waters surrounding the Visitor Interpretive Center

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