Adirondack Climate Outreach & Resilience Network

Rural Resilience from the Ground Up

The Adirondack Climate Outreach and Resilience Network (ACORN) is a collaboration of Paul Smith’s College, The Wild Center, and the Adirondack Research Consortium with funding from NYSERDA and the Adirondack Foundation. The ACORN rural resilience network includes local communities, organizations, and engaged individuals across the 14-county region of Northern New York State.

ACORN’s mission is to work together to identify community-driven solutions that ensure our rural region is proactive in responding to the changing climate. We identify shared projects with the goal of bringing state, federal, and foundation funding to the region to make solutions accessible to everyone.

Listening Sessions

  • ACORN’s goal is to plant the seeds that will get the regional climate conversation going,  connect neighbors with neighbors, and foster community-level leadership that builds on the strength of our region from the ground up.

  • Through a series of Listening Sessions across different regions of the North Country, we will gather insights about both the challenges as well as the existing strengths of our communities as we are faced with warmer, wetter, less predictable, and more severe weather that affects our roads, homes, businesses, jobs, safety networks, economy, and our regional way of life. 

  • The listening sessions will be interactive, serve as networking opportunities, and will allow for every voice to share their vision for the future of their community.

  • From the Listening Sessions, we will develop a Rural Resilience Roadmap for the North Country outlining the challenges, strengths, and visions for our region, as well as the needed projects that will make us resilient together. We will share this information with federal, state, and local partners to assist with developing the resources that will help us to fulfill our shared goals.

Attend a Listening Session Near You

Listening sessions in additional communities will be announced and added to the events page below once they are scheduled. Click on an event below to register.

Featured
Canton-Potsdam ACORN Listening Session at Cheel Center Barben Rooms, Clarkson University
Dec 5
Canton-Potsdam ACORN Listening Session at Cheel Center Barben Rooms, Clarkson University

The Adirondack Climate Outreach and Resilience Network (ACORN) will hold a listening session at the Cheel Center to brainstorm and identify key needs and solutions for stormwater resilience in the Raquette and Grass River Watersheds where they pass through Canton and Potsdam with the goal of bringing federal, state, and private funding to our area.

Upper Hudson Communities ACORN Listening Session at Warrensburg Firehouse
Feb 19
Upper Hudson Communities ACORN Listening Session at Warrensburg Firehouse

The Adirondack Climate Outreach and Resilience Network (ACORN) will hold a listening session at the Warrensburg Firehouse to gather information about climate impacts in Upper Hudson communities. Participants will engage in a visioning session to identify solutions and shovel-ready projects with the goal of bringing federal, state, and private funding to the North Country.

Can’t make it to a listening session?

We would like input from everyone: year-round and seasonal residents, business owners, students, and visitors. We want the results of the survey to reflect the perspectives of all who care about our North Country way of life. Even if you attended a listening session, you are encouraged to respond to this survey!

Funding Opportunities for North Country Communities

View the link below to explore funding opportunities for your community.

Community Climate Resilience Resources

Regional Climate Projects

Funding for this project is provided by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Adirondack Foundation.