For Immediate Release: July 17, 2001
Contact:
Victoria Hristovski | Director Public Information | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK - At this month’s Adirondack Park Agency meeting, held July 12 and 13, Agency members welcomed a couple new faces, new designee Doug Schelleng from Empire State Development, and new Paul Smith’s VIC Senior Public Information Specialist, Andy Flynn. After careful consideration, Agency members also approved going to a public hearing for a first-time use of an aquatic herbicide in the Adirondack Park.
On Thursday, APA Chairman Richard Lefebvre welcomed new designee Doug Schelleng to the board. Shelling serves as acting Regional Director for Empire State Development’s, North Country Region, where he is responsible for managing the delivery of economic development services in the six northern counties of New York state. Mr. Schelleng received a bachelor of Science in Urban and Environmental Planning from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1982. He also received an MBA from SUNY Oswego in 1998.
The Chairman and the rest of the Board also welcomed Andy Flynn as the new senior public information specialist at the Paul Smith’s and Newcomb VIC’s. Flynn was most recently the managing editor of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise in Saranac Lake and editor of the Lake Placid News. A 1987 graduate of Tupper Lake High School and a 1991 graduate of SUNY Fredonia, Andy joins the staff with a bachelors in communication, a successful newspaper career and a love for the outdoors.
During business over the two-day meeting, members considered three new projects; approved two map amendments; received a special presentation on the ecology of invasive aquatic species and an update on the permanent exhibit and lobby exhibit at the VIC’s.
Agency members unanimously approved a two-lot subdivision involving wetlands in the Town of Franklin, (Franklin County) in Low-Intensity Use. Agency members also unanimously approved the staff’s recommendation to go to an adjudicatory Public Hearing for the Lake George Park Commission’s proposed demonstration project on the use of Sonar (an aquatic herbicide) to contain the non-native Eurasian water milfoil at four sites in Lake George. The primary issues include the concentration level of the herbicide and the duration of treatment in order to selectively control Eurasian water milfoil, while minimizing impacts to native plants. Agency members also approved a request for a one-year extension to a mining project in Essex; the project is to be undertaken and completed in 2002.
On Friday, Ray Curran, supervisor of Resource Analysis and Scientific Services (RASS), and Sean Connin, Freshwater Analyst, held a discussion of the ecology of invasion of exotic species and New York state’s initiative in the Adirondacks to address the issue. The presentation highlighted the Agency’s ongoing efforts to address water quality issues throughout the Adirondack Park, which is priority of Gov. George Pataki. Because the spread of invasive aquatic species is often a foremost concern among lake managers and landowners, RASS staff presented a description of a proposed approach to resolving the issue using a Park-wide planning and collaborative approach. The next Adirondack Park Agency meeting will be held on August 9 and 10 in North Creek, (Warren County) at the Copperfield Inn.
For more information, please contact the Agency at 518-891-4050, x. 173.