Wilderness Education in the Adirondack
Park: A Case Study of the Huntington
Outdoor Education Center
Robert Buerger
Thomas Pasquarello
Abstract— For over 100 years the Adirondack Park has served as
an example of how wilderness protection and human activity can
coexist. Located in northern New York State (U.S.A., this 6 million
acre (2.4 million hectare) park is a combination of public and private
lands, which includes nearly 130,000 people who live and work
within the park boundaries. Much of the Adirondack Park’s public
land is protected as “Forever Wild.” This paper presents a case study
of the State University of New York, College at Cortland’s Huntington Outdoor Education Center, and its role in Adirondack Park
wilderness education.
“The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve, as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept
as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold, or exchanged, nor
shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.” (Article VII
on the New York State Constitution as approved by the Constitutional Convention of 1894.)
For over 100 years, Adirondack Park has served as a
unique experiment where wilderness protection and human activity coexist. Located in northern New York State
(U.S.A.), this 6 million acre (2.4 million hectare) park is a
unique mix of public and private lands. The 2.4 million acres
(960,000 hectares) of public lands known as the forest
preserve are protected by the State Constitution as a permanent wilderness resource and managed as such for the
benefit of the citizens of New York. The other 3.6 million
acres (1.44 million hectares) of parkland are privately owned.
Approximately 130,000 people live and work full time
within the park boundaries. This unique combination of
public and private lands makes Adirondack Park a model
of a “living wilderness,” where protected natural resources
are meshed with sustainable working landscapes. This, in
contrast to the more traditional United States method of
complete government ownership of protected landscapes,
provides another model for wilderness management. As
such, the lessons learned through the Adirondack Park’s
long history serves as an example on how to integrate people
and wilderness.
In: Watson, Alan E.; Aplet, Greg H.; Hendee, John C., comps. 2000.
Personal, societal, and ecological values of wilderness: Sixth World Wilderness Congress proceedings on research, management, and allocation, volume II;
1998 October 24–29; Bangalore, India. Proc. RMRS-P-14. Ogden, UT: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Robert Buerger is Professor, Environmental Studies Program, University
of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403 U.S.A., e-mail:
Buerger@uncwil.edu. Thomas Pasquarello is Chair, Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education, State University of New York College at Cortland,
Cortland, NY 13045 U.S.A., e-mail: Pasquarello@snycorva.cortland.edu
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-14. 2000
Physical and Human Resources of
the Adirondack Park _____________
The size of Adirondack Park alone makes the area unique.
The Park’s 6 million acres represents a fifth of the total
land area of New York State. In comparison, the Park is
three times larger than Yellowstone National Park or the
equivalent size of the entire state of New Hampshire.
Within the Park there are 2,500 lakes and ponds, 1,200
miles of wild rivers, 30,000 miles of brooks and streams,
and 42 mountains over 4,000 feet in elevation. Biologically,
the Park is a haven for plants and animals. The Park
contains one-half million acres of eastern old-growth forest. Ninety percent of all animal species that inhabit the
eastern section of the United States can be found during
some period of the year in the Adirondack region. The
combination of these physical and biological factors makes
the Park a unique reservoir of biological wealth (Schneider
1997).
The human dimensions associated with the Park are also
noteworthy. Sixty million people live within a 1-day drive of
the Park. Ten million people visit the Park each year and a
quarter of a million people live within the Park either year
round or seasonally. The long history of this unique mix of
protected wild landscapes and integrated human use has not
come without controversy. Periodically through its history
the purpose of the Adirondack Park has been debated,
especially by those most closely impacted by the Park—its
residents. During the past decade, the value of the Park has
once again been contested. The current debate pits those
who see the Park as a model of sustainable development,
where people and wilderness coexist, against those who see
the Park as an overregulated government intrusion into
the rights of private citizens to utilize the resources of the
region in which they live.
Adirondack Park Problems and
Potentials ______________________
Past research by the authors (Buerger and Pasquarello
1992, 1994) has identified three areas that must be addressed to resolve the current public debate regarding the
future of the Park:
1. Park management must improve the opportunity for
public participation in decisions concerning the future of the
Park.
2. Park management must assist in creating sustainable
economic development on private lands in the Park.
113
3. There must be an effort to increase public education
and awareness about Adirondack Park.
It is the third area, public education, that holds promise
for improving public consensus regarding the value of
Adirondack Park. Ultimately it is the public, especially the
park residents, who will determine the level of stewardship
afforded the Park. In a 1991 survey of Adirondack Park
residents, the authors found a surprisingly large number of
subjects who did not know important information about
how the Park was managed (Buerger and Pasquarello
1994). As an example, only 43 percent of the sampled
residents knew that the public forest preserve lands within
the Park are protected by the New York State Constitution.
Similarly, only 43 percent of the sample knew what State
agency was responsible for managing the public forest
preserve lands in the Adirondack Park. This lack of knowledge displayed by residents about the unique features that
identify Adirondack Park may increase the likelihood of
user conflict, environmental degradation, and a lost sense
of park identity in the near future. As such, the authors
have recommended that some educational mechanism
needs to be identified that will help the public increase
their understanding about Adirondack Park and its multitude of benefits to the people of the State of New York,
especially to the Park residents. The goal would be to have
those people who are most directly impacted by the Park
become its primary stewards (Pasquarello and others
1994).
Huntington Outdoor Education
Center History __________________
Since 1948, the State University of New York, College at
Cortland’s Huntington Outdoor Education Center (HOEC),
has provided thousands of people with their first exposure
to the wilderness environment. Through HOEC programs,
college and high school students, decisionmakers, and the
general public have gained a greater understanding and
appreciation of Adirondack Park through environmental
education and outdoor skill development. Located in the
heart of Adirondack Park, HOEC was originally the summer estate of Southern Pacific Railroad magnate Collis P.
Huntington. The property has been described as the first of
the great Adirondack camps and where the Adirondack
style of rustic architecture began (Gonino 1974). The historical significance of HOEC is reflected in its listing on
both the State and National Registry of Historic Sites. In
1948, the property (204 acres) was donated by the Huntington family to the State University of New York (SUNY)
College at Cortland for the purpose of establishing an
outdoor education center. The HOEC has since grown to
424 acres with facilities to host 133 resident program
participants.
Huntington Outdoor Education
Center Today ___________________
The Huntington Outdoor Education Center serves as a
focal point for environmental and outdoor education programs
at SUNY Cortland. The main objectives of the Center are:
114
1. To develop an appreciation of natural resources in all
program participants.
2. To provide program participants with an understanding of ecological relationships, environmental concerns, and
human needs.
3. To provide program participants with the knowledge to
make informed environmental decisions.
In 1997, HOEC hosted 60 programs serving over 1,800
participants, resulting in 310 program days. Approximately
55 percent of these programs were university classes where
course credit was earned. As an example, the Physical
Education and the Recreation and Leisure Studies Departments require their majors to complete a 2-week outdoor
education practicum at the Center. Both feature 5-day
canoeing and backpacking trips through the surrounding
Adirondack Wilderness. There are also elective courses
offered at the Center for both graduate and undergraduate
credit, including: Adirondack Winter Studies, Biodiversity
and Environmental Policy, Adirondack Park Policies and
Issues, Teacher Education Workshop in Conservation, Adventure Programming, and Mycology. Other credit-bearing
courses offered at the main campus use HOEC for weekend
field trips, practicum, and internship experience. About 20
percent of the 1997 HOEC schedule was noncredit education
programs. These programs were predominately faculty or
student workshops and retreats, which were sponsored by
academic departments. Another 20 percent of the schedule
was devoted to nonuniversity-sponsored outdoor education
programs, with the remaining 5 percent of the schedule
focused on various administrative workshops.
The Future of Huntington Outdoor
Education Center _______________
In the near future, SUNY Cortland will undertake major
initiatives designed to increase the number and types of
programs offered at HOEC using distance learning technology. As an example, there is currently a proposal to develop
new outdoor education programs that would link HOEC
with the SUNY Cortland main campus, and educational
sites located in the Adirondack region, including the
Adirondack Museum, the Long Lake School District, and the
Hamilton County Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Such initiatives would help HOEC move toward more
active programming to include local park residents and
visitors.
Developing a sense of stewardship by park residents is
critical for the future of the Adirondack Park. In this context,
stewardship refers to an informed sense of responsibility
that will help mitigate the economic, social, and political
conflicts that have characterized the Adirondack Park
throughout its history. In a broader sense, true stewardship
goes beyond solely the Park residents, but also must include
New York State residents and Park visitors. As such, all
three populations will be targeted for future HOEC educational programs.
One approach being considered for improving education
about Adirondack Park is through the integration of subject
information into public school curriculum. This may be the
most effective way to reach both park residents and other
New York State residents (who, not surprisingly, make up a
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-14. 2000
large percentage of Adirondack Park visitors). A curriculum
that provides instruction on Adirondack Park’s human and
natural history and examines current Park policies and
issues could be developed and implemented in schools located in or near the Park, and a shorter but similar unit
could be developed for schools in the rest of New York. Given
its historical significance and beautiful natural setting, and
the fact that SUNY Cortland has New York’s largest university education department, the Outdoor Education Center
at Raquette Lake would be the perfect venue to develop
these curricula. The Center also provides an ideal setting to
bring together groups and individuals that represent the
diverse, passionate, and often contentious viewpoints that
characterize Adirondack Park politics for a frank discussion
of the issues that divide (or sometimes unite) them. Participants could include park residents, public school teachers,
interest groups, park managers, and elected officials.
For over 100 years, Adirondack Park has attempted to
manage public wilderness resources and private lands on a
large scale where both the protection of ecosystem integrity
and biodiversity, and the quality of life of the region’s
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-14. 2000
residents are protected. In the twenty-first century, the
Park will face new challenges and threats. SUNY Cortland’s
Huntington Outdoor Education Center would seem well
situated to take on the role as the leader in education related
to Adirondack Park. Such leadership will be essential to the
continued success of this grand experiment.
References _____________________
Buerger, Robert; Pasquarello, Thomas. 1994. The Adirondack Park:
changing perceptions of residents towards park land use issues.
Journal of Recreation and Leisure. 13(1): 86-95.
Buerger, Robert; Pasquarello, Thomas. 1992. Residents’ perceptions
of recreation development and land use within the Adirondack
Park. Journal of Recreation and Leisure. 12(1): 93-105.
Gonino, Vincent. 1974. The story of Huntington Memorial Camp.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. 187 p.
Pasquarello, Thomas; Buerger, Robert; Randorf, Gary. 1994. Wilderness and the working landscape: a case study of the
Adirondack Park. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies. 1(1):19-23.
Schneider, Paul. 1997. The Adirondacks. New York, NY: Henry Holt
and Co. 368 p.
115