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tundra
Sentinel Range
Southeast Slope of the Sawteeth
West Branch of Ausable
Ore Bed Point, Lake Champlain
typical examples.
On the left, corresponding roughly to the north and the west of the
park, are the great wetlands of the lowland boreal: large, complex,
highly patterned, and home to specialized plants and animals. They
are deeply northern and hence at high risk as the climate warms.
In the center are the classic habitats of the high Adirondacks.
The mountain summits, more intensely used than any other wild
landscape, are also deeply northern and at high risk. Below them are
the upland forests and the bedrock controlled rivers. These are old,
slow to change, and critical to the biology of the park. We see them as
both strong and vulnerable, and are watching them carefully.
Finally, at right, are the specialized lowland habitats of the eastern
Adirondacks: fertile, ledgy, hills with high-diversity forests; flood plain
rivers with alluvial forests and swampy deltas; and, at the right edge,
the headlands and shores of Lake Champlain. These are remarkable
habitats, some unique or close to unique in the Northeast, and we
look forward to saying more about them soon.
LOCALadk
Fall 2014 61
