The July 4th holiday weekend is almost here and this one will be looking different for those of us who are used to spending the holiday in an Adirondack campground or watching a community fireworks display. As it stands now, neither of those traditions are available for most residents or visitors in our region.
Luckily, Adirondackers are a resilient bunch and we've got plenty of examples of things worth celebrating this week, as we look at the top stories we're following on both our news sites: AdirondackExplorer.org and AdirondackAlmanack.com.
If you like what you see and want to dig in deeper, take a look at our full slate of topical Explorer newsletters, and/or subscribe to receive our daily Almanack updates.
What's new this week
Making the case for constitutional amendments
Article 14, Section 1 -- the "Forever Wild" clause of New York's constitution -- has been amended 16 times since 1938, and talks have been under way about three new amendments that could be put before voters.
In the Almanack, Peter Bauer, Executive Director of Protect the Adirondacks, has been working on a five-part series about these proposed amendments.
Coming up this week: The fourth will focus on Hamilton County’s plans to place an emergency communications tower on Cathead Mountain.
A fifth article looks at the NYCO amendment in 2013, which raised serious questions about public accountability.
Writing in the Explorer, reporter Gwen Craig breaks down the issues surrounding the Cathead Mountain tower, and how installing a much needed emergency communications equipment can get complicated, fast. READ MORE
In her weekly "Adirondack Report" newsletter, Gwen gives a look at how she reported this story (which included climbing Cathead, pictured above) and the challenges of reporting during coronavirus. READ IT (and subscribe!)
In his weekly "Backcountry Journal" column this week, Explorer reporter Mike Lynch reflects on a camping trip he took last summer. READ MORE
As we head into the July Fourth holiday weekend, Adirondack campgrounds are open, but only to those with existing reservations. I'm among the people disappointed by this news, as I would have been returning to Lake Harris campground with my family this week. We originally had reservations but moved them to 2021 when we weren't sure if campgrounds would open. Here's a story I wrote last summer about camping with my three year old twins: READ MORE
NEW JULY FOURTH TRADITION In the wake of many Fourth of July fireworks displays being canceled, the communities of Long Lake and Raquette Lake have teamed up on a new way to celebrate READ MORE
