The Conservation Alliance (CA) released Allegany, the third video in its worthWILD series, that tells the story of the Adirondack Mountain Clubs successful campaign to protect New Yorks Alleghany State Park from oil drilling, and related habitat destruction, landscape alteration, and ground and surface water contamination.
The Adirondack Mountain Club, a New York State organization dedicated to the protection and responsible use of wild lands and waters, was unwilling to accept energy development in a popular state park. The club organized and then amplified the voices of people who love Allegany State Park. The short film illustrates how these collective voices came together to convince the State of New York State to designate roughly 85-percent of the 65,000-acre park as Park Preservation Area.
The Conservation Alliance grant made possible our advocacy work in Allegany State Park, New Yorks largest and wildest state park, said Neil Woodworth, executive director and lawyer for the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK). As a result, the Adirondack Mountain Club was able to persuade the state to designate 84-percent of the park as park preservation areas, which must be managed as wilderness, free from the threat of new roads and natural gas wellpads. ADK was also able to win passage of new state laws that extinguish abandoned gas rights in the park and establish a strict environmental review process for any proposed gas drilling that would affect Allegany State Park, Woodworth explained.
The Conservation Alliance has made grants to Adirondack Mountain Club since 1993. The Alliance funded ADKs Save Allegany State Park Campaign in 2010 and 2011. The goal of the successful campaign was to secure the highest level of environmental and resource protection for Allegany State Park and New York State Forests.
Its amazing that oil and gas development threatened one of New Yorks state parks, said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. Were proud to have supported ADKs successful effort to stop that from happening.
Produced by Alexandria Bombachs Red Reel Video, the Allegany ‘worthWILD video is the third of four documentaries that the Conservation Alliance is rolling out over the course of a few months. The 2-minute, 28 second Allegany video can be viewed here.
Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed $11.2 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 29 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,700 miles of rivers; stop or remove 25 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas.
