Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Erin Crotty pledged to take better care of the forest preserve.
"I believe, the governor believes, very passionately that the economy of the Adirondacks is almost entirely based on its natural resources," Crotty said at a Wednesday morning press conference before hiking up Mount Jo.
The point of the press conference, whose attendees included an impressive roster of park officials, was to announce a $300,000 grant from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to improve stewardship of state-owned land in the park.
One-third of the funds will be used to improve hiking trails in the Independence River Wild Forest and the High Peaks Wilderness.
One-third of the funds will be used to improve hiking trails in the Independence River Wild Forest and the High Peaks Wilderness.
He said supporting the summit stewardship program, in which Mountain Club personnel stay at the tops of popular and environmentally sensitive mountains to teach hikers about the area’s frailties, is crucial because "knowledge is probably the most important guarantor that people in the future will do the right thing and leave no trace" when they hike.
http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2002/07_2002/072520024.htm