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NCPR News Staff: Brian Mann
News Reporter and Adirondack Bureau
Chief
Bob Glennon at his home in Ray Brook (Photo: Brian Mann)
(01/31/12) One of the most controversial and colorful figures in modern Adirondack Park history is Bob Glennon.
Glennon is an attorney who served as executive director of the APA from 1988 through 1995.
He held that leadership role at a time when the state agency was often fiercely at odds with local government and pro-development groups.
Gennon later served 12 years in the state Attorney General's office.
After retiring last November, Glennon, who lives in Ray Brook, announced that he hoped to take a leadership role once again in the Park's environmental movement.
Glennon sat down recently to talk with Brian Mann. They spoke about the Park's environmental challenges, about the recent Big Tupper decision, and about the leadership of APA chairwoman Lani Ulrich.
New Assembly map would split St. Lawrence County between four districts
State Senate lines will mean a big shake-up for Hamilton County. Source: LATFOR
(01/27/12) The legislative task force charged with drawing new political maps for New York state released its plans for the state Senate and Assembly yesterday. The new district lines, if approved by lawmakers and Governor Cuomo, would bring major changes for the North Country, with Hamilton County and St. Lawrence County experiencing the biggest shift. In the future, St. Lawrence County would be represented by four different members of the Assembly. It could also mean a new political dynamic in the Adirondack Park. Brian Mann joined Martha Foley to talk about the details. more
Brian McDonnell has led the effort to revitalize the Paul Smiths VIC. Photos: Brian Mann
The VIC trail system has been expanded to include skate ski opportunities.
(01/25/12) It's shaping up to be another tough week weather-wise for the North Country. Rain and temperatures in the forties forced volunteer crews in Saranac Lake to suspend work on the Winter Carnival ice palace.
The Mt. Van Hoevenberg cross country ski center in Lake Placid closed because of the drizzly weather.
The forecast at Whiteface Mountain this morning includes a chance for rain. And the Ski Bowl in North Creek is closed, with just 60% of Gore Mountain's trails open.
One bright spot this winter has been the VIC at Paul Smiths. The facility was threatened with closure in 2010 when the Adirondack Park Agency decided that it was too expensive to operate.
But Paul Smiths College and a group of local residents have worked to keep the VIC open. Brian Mann checked out the trails last week and has our story.
Environmental activists like Richard Brummel suffered a major defeat last week. Photos: Brian Mann
But green leaders like Brian Houseal with the Adirondack Council are adopting a different message.
(01/24/12) Last week's decision by the Adirondack Park Agency to allow construction of a massive new resort in Tupper Lake was a major defeat for environmental groups. Developers of the Adirondack Club and Resort won permission to build more than 700 luxury homes and condos, much of it on timberland that borders the High Peaks Wilderness. Green activists spent much of the last decade opposing the project, insisting that it would set dangerous precedents for future development. But debate over the resort came at a time when once-powerful environmental groups were disintegrating, faltering under financial strain and deeply divided over the movement's agenda. As Brian Mann reports, last week's vote could signal a balance of power in Park debates as environmentalists scramble to regroup. more
Park Agency commissioners vote 10-to-1 to approve the massive resort. Photos: Brian Mann
Critics say it would fragment thousands of acres of habitat and timberland
(01/23/12) On Friday, the Adirondack Park Agency voted to approve the largest project in the Park's modern history, giving the green light to a massive resort planned around the Big Tupper ski area. Supporters hope the project will bring hundreds of jobs to the Adirondacks, and revitalize the economy of Tupper Lake. Hundreds of people gathered in the village Friday night to celebrate the historic decision. Critics say developers haven't developed a realistic business plan for the resort. And they worry that hundreds of mansions and condos will create sprawl on the edge of one of the Park's biggest wilderness areas. Brian Mann has our story. more
A standing-room-only crowd attending the Friday morning meeting of the APA. Photo: Mark Kurtz
Developers Michael Foxman and Tom Lawson hope for approval on Friday. Photo: Brian Mann
(01/20/12) UPDATE: The Adirondack Park Agency this morning approved a series of permits giving the green light to the massive resort planned for the area around the Big Tupper ski mountain in Tupper Lake. The 10-1 vote caps a turbulent and sometimes bitter seven-year debate over the project. Brian Mann has been following this issue from the start and he joins me now. Brian Mann joined Martha Foley earlier this morning to talk about last minute deliberations. more
Michael Foxman and Tom Lawson, Big Tupper's lead developers, conferring immediately after Friday's vote (Photo: Mark Kurtz for NCPR)
(01/20/12) Just before mid-day, the Adironack Park Agency voted 10-to-1 to approve development of a massive new resort in Tupper Lake. The vote at APA headquarters in Ray Brook sparked a standing ovation from the project's supporters who crowded the hearing room. The Adirondack Club and Resort project has been under review for seven years. In their final deliberations, commissioners acknowledged lingering questions about environmental impacts and the economic plan behind the development. Several board members called the decision "agonizing." But in the end, it was a decisive vote. NCPR's Adirondack bureau chief Brian Mann spoke with Nora Flaherty about the decision. more
Environmentalists like Richard Brummel have struggled to gain traction with their opposition to the Big Tupper resort. Photos: Brian Mann
The Park's biggest green group, the Adirondack Council led by Brian Houseal, has signed off on the project.
(01/19/12) The Adirondack Park Agency is down to the wire in its review of the massive resort project proposed for Tupper Lake. Developers hope to build more than 700 luxury homes and condos near the Big Tupper ski area, along with a new marina, ski lodge and equestrian center. A final decision from the APA is expected on Friday. In this last week of deliberations, environmental groups have ramped up their opposition to the resort. But their efforts to delay a decision and to spark more public opposition haven't gained much traction. As Brian Mann reports, the Park's biggest green group broke ranks yesterday and said the APA should allow the project the project to go forward. more
Should ORDA extend its reach beyond the Adirondacks?
(01/18/12) Governor Cuomo's spending plan calls for the Olympic Regional Development Authority, based in Lake Placid, to take over a state-run Belleayre ski area in the Catskills by the end of this year.
ORDA now operates ski mountains in North Creek and Wilmington, along with Olympic venues in Lake Placid. That makes the organization one of the region's biggest employers and a mainstay of the winter tourism season.
As Brian Mann reports, the proposal for ORDA to expand its operations outside the Adirondacks has drawn mixed reviews.
APA commissioners tour the Big Tupper project site (NCPR file photo)
(01/17/12) Tomorrow in Ray Brook, Adirondack Park Agency commissioners begin their final three days of deliberations over the resort project planned for Tupper Lake. Developers hope to build hundreds of homes and condos on more than six thousand acres of land near the Big Tupper ski area. A final vote from the APA is planned for Friday.
Village Mayor Paul Maroun said he's hopeful a permit will be granted. "It's a big issue on the streets in Tupper Lake. Everybody's talking about it, both sides of the issue," Maroun noted.
Brian Mann has been following this project for seven years and he spoke with Martha Foley.
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Brian Mann. Nancie Battaglia photo
Brian Mann grew up in Alaska, where he fell in love with public radio.
In 1999, Brian moved to the Adirondacks and helped launch NCPR's
news bureau at Paul Smiths College. "I love the chemistry
of water and mountains," Brian says. "But I'm also
pretty crazy about village life in the north country. It's the
kind of place where you know your neighbors." Brian lives
in Saranac Lake with wife Susan and son Nicholas. He's a frequent
contributor to NPR and also writes regularly for regional magazines, including
Adirondack Life and the Adirondack Explorer. Recent Brian Mann stories carried by NPR:
January 14, 2012 | NPR · The lack of snow in most of the northeast has extended the hiking season for those willing to brave the cold. Brian Mann takes a winter hike into Roaring Brook Falls in New York's Adirondack Mountains.
December 27, 2011 | NCPR · It's been another warm, rainy day in much of the Northeast, with temperatures in some areas topping 40 degrees. If you hate shoveling snow, or paying big heating bills, that's good news. But for people who love winter sports — and for thousands of businesses that rely on snow for winter tourism — this month's October-like weather has been painful.
September 26, 2011 | NCPR · New York state is poised to implement new rules that could have a major impact on the global shipping industry. Invasive species sometimes move from place to place in "ballast water" — that's the water ships suck in and discharge to level their loads. Officials in New York want all that ballast water treated to kill any "living pollution" before it reaches their harbors. But the treatment technology is expensive and untested. Because the state serves as a gateway to the Great Lakes and ports in New Jersey, other states and countries are disputing the new rules.
August 30, 2011 | NCPR · Parts of upstate New York were hit hard by Tropical Storm Irene — high winds and a wall of heavy rain swept away homes and bridges. Dozens of major highways, including sections of interstates 87 and 90, were closed to traffic.
August 30, 2011 | NPR · Meanwhile, flood waters are still rising in several Northeastern states. Vermont has been hit particularly hard.
January 25, 2011 | NCPR · With temperatures in the Northeast plunging to 35 below zero, what else is there to do but head out for an early morning snow shoe?
October 17, 2010 | NPR · It's fall and that means most forests in the U.S. have begun to change in magnificent ways. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann went for a leaf-peeping hike this week in upstate New York and sent this audio postcard.
October 16, 2010 | NPR · In New York's 23rd congressional district race, the Tea Party candidate, Doug Hoffman, has dropped out. But he's still on the ballot, and a Saturday poll shows him drawing 15 percent of the vote. That support accounts for nearly all the lead for incumbent Democrat Bill Owens over Republican Matt Doheny, so there's a very real possibility that the political ghost of a Tea Party candidate could play the spoiler role. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports.
October 16, 2010 | NPR · The conservative movement looks to have enough clout and momentum to be a factor in Congress after Election Day. But not all of its candidates are doing equally well. An up-close look at three races.
October 10, 2010 | NPR · It's autumn, and in small towns across the country the weekly ritual of high school football is in full swing.
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