New Strategic Plan Maps a Path Toward Shared Prosperity

We are proud to share with you ANCA’s 2026-2028 strategic plan, Building Shared Prosperity. 

The result of a year-long strategic planning process — including two retreats, dozens of meetings, hundreds of thoughtful conversations, and analysis of more than 800 data points from interviews, focus groups, surveys and research — this plan affirms what ANCA does best.

Read Deputy Director Zach Hobbs' reflections on the process and the plan in our latest What's Up North blog.

And view the new strategic plan on our website.

Thank You For Powering Our Work

Thank you to all who made a gift or membership contribution to ANCA in 2025. These investments have real impacts for farms, businesses and communities across our region. We are honored to be working with you to expand resources, services and opportunities for small business, climate & energy, local food systems, and welcoming & belonging across the North Country. Thank you for joining us in this important work.

Buyer registration for this year's show is open. Register now to shop high-quality local products like boutique apparel, spa, housewares, souvenir, stationery, jewelry, pet, fine art, specialty food & beverage, and more!

• What: Adirondack Buyer Days
• When: March 23 and 24, 2026
• Where: Saratoga City Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Adirondack Buyer Days is a juried wholesale gift show. Interested artisan vendors are invited to submit a vendor application. Learn more and apply here.

Wholesaling Tips & Best Practices

In collaboration with the North Country Small Business Development Center, ANCA is hosting two webinars designed to help Adirondack Buyer Days vendors (like Adirondack Rockware, pictured) prepare for the wholesale gift show. These free virtual events are open to any entrepreneurs interested in learning wholesaling tips and best practices. Sign up for one or both!

• Strategies for a Successful Wholesale Show: Tuesday, February 17 at 5:30 p.m.
  
• Build a Better Booth for Wholesale Shows: Tuesday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Real Food Hub Will Have Real Impact

We are so thrilled to have received a $500K grant from New York State Ag and Markets to support Whitten Family Farm with the development of a new food hub in Winthrop, NY.

“By streamlining processing, storage and delivery systems, this facility will expand markets for farmers and increase the availability of local products in stores. It will ultimately make local food more affordable and accessible for all residents, including those who are shopping on a tight budget or through nutrition assistance programs.” ~ Cherie Whitten

Building Soils with Biochar


Curious about biochar? Join our Compost for Good team for a free webinar to learn more about this nutrient-rich organic material and best practices for using it as a soil amendment and remediation strategy.

What: Introduction to Biochar Webinar

When: Thursday, January 22 at noon

Where: Virtual via Zoom

This webinar is offered in partnership with the New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE) and SUNY Plattsburgh.

We're Hiring!

Want to help North Country communities reduce and recycle food waste?

In partnership with Clarkson University, ANCA's Compost for Good program is seeking a project coordinator to implement food waste reduction and recycling grants in North Country communities. This position supports federal grant project goals including community outreach, communications, and food waste assessments.

Learn more on our job opportunities webpage.

ANCA Awarded Grant to Improve Energy Efficiency for Businesses

We are thrilled to share that ANCA is one of ten community partners in New York to receive funding through a $5 million statewide initiative created by National Grid and the National Grid Foundation to help customers manage winter energy costs and access efficiency upgrades. The funds will allow ANCA to help up to 1,000 North Country small businesses make long-lasting energy improvements and strengthen affordability and reliability. Huge thank you to National Grid and the Foundation for supporting this important work!

Planning for a Changing Climate


Lewis County leaders and community members are invited to join ANCA and Lewis County for a free webinar to learn about the county-wide Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience Plan (CCARP).

What: Lewis County CCARP Public Education Webinar

When: Thursday, January 29, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: Virtual

Welcoming Conference Sponsors

ANCA's 2026 Climate & Energy Conference in Lake Placid will bring together leaders, innovators, and community advocates to explore current climate and energy issues, innovations and collaborative solutions. We welcome businesses and organizations interested in sponsoring the conference to learn more in the sponsor prospectus or contact Event & Engagement Coordinator Caitlin Bottcher to learn more.

Save the date! Registration opens on February 2.

Micro-credential Reimbursement Extended

A discount for ADI's Welcoming & Belonging Micro-credential Course has been extended for members of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (SLACC). Register by February 28 to be eligible for 80% savings. Reimbursements are provided when participants complete the asynchronous course within six months.

For more information and to register, visit the ANCA website or contact Tamara Jolly at tjolly@adirondack.org. 

Artwork Features Local Leaders

ADI Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul Aguirre, John Brown Lives! Executive Director Martha Swan, and artist and Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center Director David Fadden are featured in a new painting by Susan Hoffer called "Working Toward Cultural Sustainability." Tiffany said of the portrait, "Together our work reflects a shared commitment toward understanding, accountability, and lasting change in the Adirondacks."

Hoffer's "Conversations" exhibit can be viewed The Jane Altes Gallery at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy through February 20.

Remembering Claudette Colvin

Civil rights activist Claudette Colvin died on January 13. At age 15, in March 1955, (nine months before Rosa Parks), Claudette refused to give up her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama. Years later, she would say in an interview, “I could not move, because history had me glued to the seat. It felt like Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on another shoulder, and I could not move." Claudette was motivated by school lessons about African American history and the U.S. Constitution. Knowledge is power, and her story still inspires us today. As we approach Black History Month in February, take a few minutes to listen to Claudette's Radio Diary entry. 

Visit our jobs page for openings with member and partner organizations and regional nonprofits:

• Project Coordinator: Compost for Good & Clarkson University
• Senior Development Director: Adirondack Mountain Club
• Executive Director: Adirondack Folk School
• Trail Crew Member: Tahawus Trails
• Architectural and Engineering Firm (RFP): Ticonderoga Natural Foods Coop

Have an opening you want to promote? Send a web link to jobs@adirondack.org.