ADK Futures Update Where are we now? PSC Center for Working Landscapes April 21, 2014 Dave Mason.

ADK Futures UpdateWhere are we now?

PSC Center for Working LandscapesApril 21, 2014

Dave Mason

www.ADKfutures.org

Good Move

• The Center for Working Landscapes is a great idea– PSC and CCE are perfect partners in this

• Working landscapes are at the center of the ADK Futures vision for the Park– Working forest – Working farms– Working recreational landscapes

Thank you to everyone working on getting this going

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www.ADKfutures.org 3

F. ADK State Forest

E. Post Big-Gov’t

We Write Scenario Building Kits

±

Feral Pigs Go Hog Wild in the Adirondacks

2020Just like in California, wild boar populations have become a serious problem all over New York. Eurasian wild boars had become popular on privates hunting estates but escaped and multiplied rapidly. They are intelligent, adaptable, eating almost anything able to live in a wide range of habitats. These are not your average Porky Pigs.

Endstates

D. ADK County

B. A Usable Park

A. Wild Park

C. Sustainable

Events

Based on 150 Interviews plus various books, articles and research

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Endstate A

Endstate B

Endstate C

Endstate D

Events

2011-12

Mapping the ScenariosWhat does it take to get to the future you want?

4

•Build paths of events to each endstate•The most interesting events are:

• forks in the road or• common to many or • unique to one

Apri 21, 2014 www.ADKfutures.org

Now tracking news about these events

Who Participated?

• Education had the highest participation including students, teachers and university level people

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254

68

25

39

residentspart timeseasonalnon-residents

52

28

20

33

38

52

33

100

429

businesstourismhealthcarenon-env NGOenv NGOstate govlocal goveducationreligionretired/seasonal

www.ADKfutures.org

A: Wild ParkB: A Usable ParkC: The Sustainable LifeD: Adirondack CountyE: Post “Big Gov’t” SolutionsF: Adirondack State Forest

• Wide Support for C: The Sustainable Life Scenario• C and B tied for Attainability• Most Desirable = Most Attainable (a 1st for us)

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The Combined Model

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C: Sustainable

Life

B: Sustainable Recreational Tourism

and Early Retirees

A: Wild Forest Preserve

+

www.ADKfutures.org

Economic Growth Strategies

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Grow the Local Share of the Economy• These areas of opportunity are all from our working

landscape– Local food means more farming aimed at local consumption:

meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains and added value producers like local brewers and distillers

– Local energy specifically means biomass for heat to displace fuel oil, especially base load heat in large buildings.

• Retrofit old dams for hydro• Windmills where they make sense• Solar needs community net metering to grow faster

– Local building materials means wood products from small local mills and cement from Glens Falls

• Benefits of this strategy– Rooted in our traditional, self-reliant, culture– Lower carbon footprint by eliminating transportation

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www.ADKfutures.org

Tourism to Bring Money Here• An activity is also rooted in our traditions• Another part of our working landscape

– Market the whole Park, not balkanized bits of it. The scale of it is part of our uniqueness

– Grow eco-, agro- and heritage tourism• The region still doesn’t get eco-tourism as a market

– Activities, arts, hospitality, equipment: we must offer more “product” for visitors’ spending

– Market to more diverse set of visitors: multi-cultural, Canadian, European, Asian

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New Sectors to Grow Here• Bring more dollars into the economy via telework

– Federal funding for broadband projects comes from the Farm Bill too.

– There are telework options at many skill levels– Leverage the region’s colleges and the Capital region’s high tech

boom• Embrace retiring boomers as an opportunity

– They don’t need a job, they bring their own income– They create demand for service jobs

• Tap into manufacturing growth at Park edges– Global Foundries, Bombardier, Fage Yogurt, Ft Drum, etc.– Light high-tech manufacturing inside Blue Line

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www.ADKfutures.org

Updated Status Report

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Source: ADKfutures.net

This is a database of news and developments associated with the scenario events used in ADK Futures workshops.

The intent is to build a pubic feedback loop. The desired scenario is nice to know, but are we making any progress?

www.ADKfutures.org

Local Food, Agro-Tourism are Growing Markets

• Farmer’s markets thriving region-wide• Asgaard Farm and DaCy Meadow offer farm stay

vacations• Rolling Hills Farm resort sale completed• 3 schools move to local farm food (Keene,

Schroon, LP beginning)• Adk Coast wine trail approved, regional grape

harvest growing• Federal funds help small dairies go organicApri 21, 2014 13

www.ADKfutures.org

Land Trusts are Supporting New Farmers

• Mace Chasm Farm in Keeseville sold a conservation easement to the Open Space Institute, a program OSI plans to expand. See OSINY.org

• Agrariantrust.org is a new land trust set up for farmers

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Extending the Growing Season• Demo project in Keene Valley will use solar thermal to

heat soil beds in greenhouses

www.ADKfutures.org

Regional Services Improve Local Food Economics

• USDA certified meat processor opens in Ticonderoga

• USDA certified chicken processing unit opens• North Country Grown Cooperative pools

production of 30 farms to serve large customers in St Lawrence Cty

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www.ADKfutures.org

Distribution is Improving

• New CSA farm in Warren County last season• Schools signing on to CSAs, can be big

customers• Direct distribution from farm groups starting• New local food buying groups organized by

Wholeshare.com all over the region• Launch of ADKfoodnetwork.com to connect

local food to local folks• New Price Chopper coming to WarrensburgApri 21, 2014 16

www.ADKfutures.org

Brewers and Distillers Popping Up

• $5m brew pub and distillery coming to LG• AuSable Brewing Company building in Keesville, growing

their own hops• Paradox Brewery opens in Schroon Lake• Blue Line Brewery opens in Saranac Lake• Tupper Lake brewer organizing• LP Beer ships to 9 states• ADK Brewing in LG gets 25 county distribution • Tax cut for small brewers• Two new distillers getting organized, will use local grains

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www.ADKfutures.org

Biomass Fuel, Working Forest• Vermont has 60% of its schools on biomass heat

– We have 3 school projects• 2 district heating projects in process: Old Forge and Tupper

Lake• 7 institutional heating projects

– Paul Smith’s heat project• Demonstration ‘model neighborhood’ residential project in the

works for Tupper• Liquid fuel demo plant at Lyons Falls mill site funded• ReEnergy coal conversion to green chips is up and running• We need these markets for our 800,000 acre dedicated

working forest

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www.ADKfutures.org

Other Working Landscape Energy Assets

• SUNY Canton is getting a single windmill that will provide 50% of its power needs

• Chester has switched most municipal electricity needs to solar PV, other towns are moving slower– We are missing Community Net Metering (NY Senate 4722)

• Lake Flower power dam is being upgraded• Tupper Lake’s Setting Pole dam has retrofit hydro plans• The region’s power today is mostly hydro from the Robert

Moses Dam and wind farms in the St Lawrence valley– Very little electricity comes from fossil fuels

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www.ADKfutures.org

Broadband Progress• State and USDA funding are actively supporting last mile

connections to homes – Ausable, Schroon Lake, Bellmont, Lyon Mtn, Thurman, Long Lake and

3 other Hamco towns– SLIC is adding about 40 homes each week

• 2009 Federal stimulus funds built a fiber trunk from Watertown to Westport, now operational.

• Numerous cell towers and 4G upgrades in process• All the region’s health centers are now on a fiber optic

telemedicine network• AdirondackTeleworks.com is getting REDC funding to develop

telework jobs and workforce

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www.ADKfutures.org

Tourism Development Efforts• Integrated public private recreation plan published• ROOST has evolved from LP only to a regional marketing group

including Hamilton Cty and parts of Franklin• Sochi Olympics gave LP lots of free PR• Whiteface won a top 10 international ranking• Fishing tournaments, white water challenge, winter sport challenge,

all aim for regional promotion• New paddling and biking events coming this summer 2014• Highway ‘driving trails’ are being moved from paper to digital

platforms and smartphones• Saratoga North Creek RR and airport improvements, esp PBG,

making access easier• Many efforts to combat aquatic invasive species seen as critical for

sustainable recreational tourism Apri 21, 2014 21

www.ADKfutures.org

Adding Tourism ‘Product’• 2 hotel projects finished(LP and Speculator), 2 under

construction(SLK, Schroon) and 2 in permitting(SLK and LG)• 1 Marina project permitted(Port Henry), another in process(SLK)• $2.3m loan fund for renovations of older properties• ORDA looking at Whiteface zip lines. Bolton Landing has one

that is doing well. Another is in permitting• High end camping (glamping) is emerging. See Camp Orenda in

Johnsburg• Boating, hunting, fishing licensing now online • Movie theaters have made the shift to digital projection• Whiteface Highway rebuild this spring• There is lots of room here for new business activity

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www.ADKfutures.org

Projects on Public Land

• 20-25 waterfront park projects in process, e.g. Second Pond docks, LG docks, Bulwagga Bay

• New inter-hamlet multiple use trails • 3 new snowmobile trail groomers, 100 snow guns at

Gore• Smaller trail systems seeing promotion and more use:

CATS, the SLK 6ers, LG hike-a-thon• 2 pond reclamation projects for trout fishing,

hatchery rebuilds• Added Finch lands to public recreation areasApri 21, 2014 23

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Big Learnings from ADK Futures• Alignment: what we want is what we expect we can

do– Wow, what a nice position to start from! This is rare and

very powerful.– Shared intentions bring new energy to the region– The classic conflicts do not go away, but they fade from

the center of attention• Aligned public desires attract government help

– Government operations are well suited to helping an already aligned public

• Individual and small group initiative is key– If you don’t do it, who will?

Apri 21, 2014

www.ADKfutures.org

Thank You

• Use ADKfutures.net to judge the progress of the region toward the vision

• Use ADKfutures.org as the baseline project reference info and the blog.

• Use our email to get in touch– [email protected]– [email protected]

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