ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
Saturday,ÊO ctoberÊ15,Ê2016
>>
www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 17-18
>>
In OPINION | pg. 6
Go newspapers!
Regular season winds down
Biggest political stories broken in print
final week approaches
>>
In BOLTON | pg. 2
Verteran’s Wall adds names 31 veterans added
Public input wanted for proposed regional trail network Adirondack Community-based Trails and Lodging System aims to broaden hiking experience, revitalize communities By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
NORTH CREEK — Are you into nature but are clueless on how to pitch a tent or build a campfire? Do you have inexperienced guests in town? Getting older? Or are you still hardcore, but want a few luxuries waiting for you at the end of your journey? An ambitious new project aims to broaden the hiking experience for everyone, and give local towns an economic jump start in the process.
The Adirondack Community-based Trails and Lodging System (ACTLS) project seeks to develop a series of trail networks across the region. Key locations will include lodging facilities at the end of a day-long trek, each containing varying amenities. Hatched by a pair of local educators with years of wilderness experience, the project is now only in its conceptual stages, and was formally rolled out earlier this year at the Adirondack Research Consortium’s annual conference in Lake Placid. After experiencing a hut-to-hut system in New Zealand, Joe Dadey, a former Paul Smith’s College professor, returned statewide and mulled over his experience: “What would that like look like in the Adirondacks?” The Methow Valley Recreational Trail Sys-
tem in Washington, a network of 120 miles of cross-country ski trails surrounded by national wilderness, provided additional inspiration, Dadey said. That network, according to their website, generated $4.5 million in spending directly, another $4.1 million indirectly, and an additional $2.7 million annually through related industry earnings in the region. Over 200 seasonal full- and part-time jobs can be also directly attributed to the network. A similar system in the Adirondack Park would promote the outdoors and wellness while also aiding in economic development, Dadey said. The network could also provide opportunities for people who don’t ordinarily experience the backcountry. Dadey and his partner, Jack Drury, will host a series of nine community workshops across the Adirondacks this fall to gather
public input. The first session was held in Star Lake on Tuesday. Subsequent sessions are scheduled for Old Forge, Saranac, Lake Placid, Lake George, Elizabethtown, Ticonderoga and Tupper Lake, with the final session slated for Paul Smith’s on Nov. 15. The project is in its embryonic stages, and possible trail networks exist only within a conceptual framework. But Dadey and Drury hope to leverage public knowledge with these sessions, gleaning input on existing trails and prospective new ones and their connections, as well as potential lodging facilities. Routes floated earlier this spring include a North Creek to Indian Lake circuit that may incorporate rafting. >> See TRAILS | pg. 19
Stefanik under fire forÊ TrumpÊ support
Democratic challenger Mike Derrick amplifies calls for Stefanik to denounce Donald Trump following revelation of lewd comments By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
Several Johnsburg students gather around their mascot “Jiggy Jaguar” during a PreK-6 soccer Tournament Oct. 8. Approximately 70 kids participate in the district’s PreK-6 soccer program. Photo provided
GLENS FALLS — Dozens of high-profile Republicans rescinded their support of Donald Trump over the weekend after an audio tape revealed the presidential candidate bragging about groping women using vulgar language. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) was not among them. “Donald Trump’s inappropriate, offensive comments are just wrong - No matter when he said them or whatever the context,” Stefanik said on Friday. “I hope his apology is sincere.” Stefanik’s Democratic opponent Mike Derrick was quick to seize on her comments, branding Stefanik as a “party loyalist” and an “establishment sellout” for her continued support of the Republican nominee, which he called “downright reprehensible.” “How in the world can she support a presidential candidate >> See NY-21 | pg. 19