Science to inform policy in the Adirondacks: Case studies from the great experiment

Scientific Paper
Written By Michale Glennon

Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies, 23: 59-79

Michale Glennon, Eric Holmlund, Daniel Kelting, Heidi Kretser, & Zoë Smith

The abundant natural resources of the Adirondack Park, positioned in a setting of interspersed public and private ownerships and multiple jurisdictional layers of management, make for a place in which the competing interests of human use and enjoyment of the landscape and protection of its resources can create significant challenges. It is also a place where there is a critical role for applied science in informing policy and management decisions. Here we describe four examples in which applied science, combined with education and outreach, have been used to inform management responses to critical threats impacting the Adirondack landscape. This paper describes the work of two organizations who have invested heavily in the region, using place-based and collaborative approaches to inform important policy issues. We describe each as a case study and draw conclusions across all of them that provide useful lessons for conservation in the region.

Michale Glennon

Michale Glennon serves as the Senior Research Scientist of the Paul Smith's College Adirondack Watershed Institute. She is interested in the effects of land use management on wildlife populations in the Adirondacks and is engaged in research ranging from issues of residential development to recreation ecology to climate change. She is an ecologist and previously spent 15 years as the Director of Science for the Adirondack Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society. At AWI, Michale works to support and help shape the scientific research program, provide high quality research opportunities for students, and distribute and champion AWI's work in order to enhance the use of science in the management and stewardship of the natural resources of the Adirondack Park.

Previous

Relative contribution of climate and non-climate drivers in determining dynamic rates of boreal birds at the edge of their range
Next

Temporal changes in avian community composition in lowland conifer habitats at the southern edge of the boreal zone in the Adirondack Park, NY