To Members of the Albany-Schenectady Chapter of ADK – A great thank you to Alvin Breisch for stepping in at the last minute and present a fascinating talk about snakes, salamanders, turtles and lizards in NY state at our March Chapter meeting. Who knew that there are an estimated 14 billion redback salamanders who lay their eggs on land instead of in water, and that they are the most abundant vertebrate in the eastern deciduous forests. Or that there used to be a bounty of $2 on rattlesnakes in the north country, which led to them to become endangered, that they come in yellow and black, and their rattles get tagged with magical markers by biologists. Or that the sex of turtles is determined by the incubation temperature of their eggs. These and many more interesting facts about the herpetofauna in NY made for a highly educational evening.

The next chapter meeting is on April 14 with a program by David Gibson, on Paul Schaefer and on his work with Adirondack Wild.

UPCOMING CHAPTER LED OUTINGS (https://albany.adk.org/outings-activities/)

  • Winter Paddling Pool Practice and Training
    Thursday, March 19 and 26, 2026, 6 – 8 pm
  • Thacher Park early spring hike
    Saturday, March 21, 2026, 10 am – 1 pm
  • The 51st Annual Tenandeho White Water Derby (not hosted or affiliated with ADK)
    Sunday, March 29, 2026, all day
  • Huyck Preserve Hike
    Saturday, April 4, 2026, 9 – 11:30 am
  • 21st Annual Erie Canal Clean Sweep (not hosted or affiliated with ADK)
    Saturday, April 18, 2026,10 am – 1 pm
  • Young Adult Hike: Thacher Park Hang Glider Ledge
    followed by Happy Hour at Indian Ladder Farms
    Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10 am -5 pm
  • Sucker Brook Trail Maintenance outing
    Saturday, June 13, 2026, 9 am – 5 pm

NOTE: you must sign up with the respective leader if you wish to participate in any of those!

HELP NEEDED

  • March 21, 10-2: Tabling at REI (2 hour shift with a partner)
    If interested contact Paul Tick at tick.paul@gmail.com
  • May 9, 10-2: Tabling at Pruyn House (2 hour shift with a partner)
    If interested contact Paul Tick at tick.paul@gmail.com
  • June 9, 4-8: Chapter Picnic at Peebles Island
    Set up, check-in, grilling, clean up and take down
    If interested contact Marilyn Pusatere at mjpusatere@gmail.com
  • June 13, all day: Trail Maintenance
    If interested contact Leore Kushner at Leore7@hotmail.com

SCHOLARSHIPS

  • DEC summer camp: In order to encourage the younger generation to become good stewards of the environment, the chapter bought a small number of scholarships for students in our community. That money will completely cover the cost of a week at camp, including housing and food. Two children from the South End Childrens Café will go to a DEC summer camp courtesy of our chapter.
  • High School: Invitations have gone to 10 HS for applications from Seniors who show an interest in the preservation and protection of the environment. In order to qualify, applicants must be pursuing, in September of the upcoming academic year, a course of study in a field such as, but not limited to, forestry, marine biology, conservation or environmental science. Deadline for applications is April 29. For more information go to https://albany.adk.org/about-our-chapter/scholarships/

UPDATES FROM THE MAIN CLUB

Cycle Outing, June 14-19, at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, registration is now open at https://adk.corsizio.com/event/696f894d36890519ab46d7c0

Fall Outing, September 18-20, Young Life Camp on Northern Saranac Lake, registration is now open at https://adk.corsizio.com/event/6977a22036890519ab1cdac1

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Fire Tower challenge, and July is “Go Take a Hike” month.

ADK asks members to sign a letter to the Governor and Legislators in support of restoring full stewardship funding for the Adirondacks and Catskills. Go to https://adk.org/take-action-now/#/15

 

Future communications from the main club will be multi-channel and comprise:
1 issue of the Adirondac magazine per year
3 or 4 issues of a printed newsletter per year; next one expected in April
Real time communication via email, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok. The next newsletter should have information of how to access those various channels.

Note, if you or someone you know think they don’t receive emails from the main club you need to go to your member account at https://members.adk.org/members/Sign_In.aspx and verify that your email is in your member profile. Alternatively, you can send an email to contact@adk-albany.org and we will forward your request to the person responsible for maintaining the membership list. You can also selectively only subscribe to our chapter emails.

New policies for ADK led hikes:

ADK is updating its insurance coverage and revising the Outdoor Leadership Guide. Furthermore, community-building, beginner, and intermediate outings remain central to ADK’s work. Consequently

  • A+ level (4000 ft elevation gain, 10 mi) hikes may no longer take place under ADK’s name or insurance.
  • A level (3000 ft elevation gain, 5-10 mi) trips are paused through May 1, 2026. Trips scheduled for May 1 and beyond may proceed.

This pause allows time to:

  • Refine ADK’s trip classification system
  • Ensure compliance with chapter insurance requirements
  • Align with national outdoor leadership standards
  • Support trail recovery during mud season

We do not anticipate additional pauses
B and C level hikes are not affected by this new policy.

Lastly, if you are interested in the latest Annual Report from ADK, it is at https://adk.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ADK_AnnualReport_110525_.pdf