Join Us for Our Annual Meeting on June 12

We hope you'll join us for ANCA's 2026 Annual Meeting in Watertown, New York! Together, we'll celebrate the past year’s accomplishments, regional collaborations, and our new tagline, A North Country for All.

Focused on connecting and re-connecting with members of our community, our team will also share brief remarks about "A North Country for All" in action through our collaborative work across the region.

We'll gather at Watertown’s Emmanuel Congregational Church, where ANCA provided support for energy improvements that will serve the community for years to come. We hope to see you there in June!

Next Week is Black Birders Week!

Join the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and John Brown Lives! for our second annual local celebration of National Black Birders Week — and the opportunity to learn from esteemed author, ornithologist and naturalist Dr. J. Drew Lanham.

In partnership with NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, we invite birders of all experience levels for a special day of birding at John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid on Saturday, May 30.

VUM Plan for a Welcoming Adirondacks


Visitor Use Management (VUM) is again a hot topic, as the NYSDEC recently released its recommendations for management actions in the Adirondack High Peaks.

From 2022 to 2025, ADI conducted a High Peaks Survey that gathered and analyzed data from visitors at popular trailheads to better understand who is visiting, why they come, and whether they feel safe and welcome in the Adirondacks. In light of our findings, we have serious concerns about the DEC's current recommendations for the High Peaks and have provided our comments to the State, which include rejecting permit or quota-based access restrictions for the High Peaks.

Community Policing at Work

Thank you to all who joined ADI and RENZ Consulting — including the local law enforcement officers who shared their insights — for our first Community Policing Initiative public forum in Saranac Lake earlier this month.

We learned how this program is having positive impacts on North Country officers, agencies, and the communities they serve — and how these essential public servants feel empowered by the skills, knowledge and relationships they gain through the trauma-informed trainings.

Watch NBC5's televised coverage and NCPR's radio coverage of the forum.

Read RENZ Consulting's Evaluation Report.

Real Food Hub Breaks Ground

Construction for the Real Food Hub has begun! Cherie and Dan Whitten's food processing and sales facility received grant funding through New York's Food Access Expansion Program last year. It now has frost walls and the beginnings of a floor.

When complete, the hub will address the need for consolidated processing and distribution of local food products in our rural region. Located in Winthrop, NY, the Real Food Hub will also improve local food access in communities across the North Country. Read about the ANCA-supported project in the Sun Community News.

Next Week: Two Community Food Waste Reduction Webinars

Help your community reduce the amount of wasted food that ends up in landfills! Next week, Compost for Good, in partnership with Clarkson University and NYSDEC's Climate Smart Communities program, will host two free virtual workshops about local food waste reduction efforts and opportunities:

• Wednesday, May 27 at noon: Municipal Food Scrap Collection Webinar
• Thursday, May 28 at 9:00 a.m.: K-12 School Food Scrap Collection Webinar

We will hear from North Country municipalities and schools who have adopted food waste reduction strategies and are eager to share their successes, challenges, and resources with you. Please help spread the word to local school and government staff, school and community groups interested in diverting food waste from landfills.

Calling Compost Catalysts!

We are seeking volunteer Community Compost Catalysts to join our team. Help spread the word!

Compost Catalysts are trained volunteers who are passionate about building sustainable local food and soil systems by empowering friends and neighbors to adopt practical food waste reduction practices. They will work in their own communities with the support of our team to develop, promote, or support projects that reduce wasted food, recover excess food, or transform remaining scraps into nutrient-rich compost.

Energy Upgrade Initiative is Live!

ANCA is excited to announce our new Small Business Energy Upgrade Initiative! We welcome businesses, nonprofit organizations and economic development partners to engage in initiatives designed to improve safety, comfort and affordability (like Bombay Community Center's new heat pump system, pictured).

To learn more about this program, supported by the National Grid Foundation, and to complete a brief interest form to get you started, visit the ANCA website. Submit your form soon!

Summer Entrepreneur Gatherings

Join other members of the North Country business community in a welcoming space where you can network, share ideas, ask questions, and feel connected. ANCA staff will continue to host our monthly virtual Entrepreneur Roundtable sessions through the summer:

• What: Virtual Entrepreneur Roundtable
• When: First Tuesday of each month (June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1)
• Where: Virtual via Zoom

Featured Business for Sale: Adirondack General Store

Retaining existing businesses is critically important for the economic and cultural health of our region. They provide local jobs, essential services, and invaluable vibrancy for our communities.

The Adirondack General Store in Schroon Lake is one of dozens of businesses working with ANCA's Center for Businesses in Transition (CBIT) so the historic shop can serve their community for generations to come.

Read about the general store and its legacy in the Adirondack Almanack.

ANCA's Climate & Energy Program currently has two job openings! Check out our jobs page to learn more.

Our Climate Smart Communities Coordinator supports communities and task forces working to implement climate-smart actions, develop resilience plans, and advance local projects and programming.

The Energy Advisor works with Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Jefferson County and the North Country Clean Energy Hub to promote and deliver energy literacy and educational awareness services in Clinton and Essex Counties. One perk: one day per week at the ANCA office!

Thank You for Your Energy!

To all attendees, partners, speakers, and community leaders — thank you for bringing your energy, insight, and commitment to our 2026 Climate & Energy Conference.

We look forward to continuing this work with you as we build a future where solutions are grounded in community, and where every voice shapes the path from grassroots to grid.

Photo: ANCA staff and community partners at the conference. View more event photos here.

Head Over to the Hub!

Our North Country Clean Energy Hub team is busy hosting educational and community events across the region — like this week's Open House at the Owls Head Mountain View Community Center, pictured.

Check out the Hub website to learn about upcoming events near you.

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

• Development Director: Ausable Freshwater Center
• Executive Director: Cooperative Development Institute
• Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator: Boquet River Association

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