The project originated in direct response to community leaders who had asked ANCA to create a new design that would resonate with Adirondack North Country visitors and illustrate the enormous variety of water resources that tourists and residents can enjoy while touring the 153-mile route from Glens Falls to Rome, New York.  These water resources have played and continue to play an integral role in the settlement, development, and economies of the diverse cities, towns and villages along the way.  The various water bodies—natural and man-made, easily accessed along routes 9, 28, and 365 provide four-season recreational opportunities.

Davidson Design, Inc. worked with ANCA and a Central Adirondack Trail Marketing Team comprised of twenty members from across the four counties with expertise in tourism, marketing and community development during the design development phase.  The design firm created new artwork that focuses on the true intrinsic values of resources named in the Central Adirondack Trail’s Corridor Management Plan.  The logo suggests the many waterway connections that parallel or intercept the route which are desirable assets for the various locales looking to bring visitors to their community. 

 ANCA and Central Adirondack Trail stakeholders will use the new design and theme in future marketing and interpretation projects to support tourist exploration with the goal to stimulate interest in new and repeat visitation in the twenty-nine Scenic Byway communities.   Byway stakeholders want visitors to become aware of the close proximity of the roadway to significant water features from the Glens Falls Feeder Canal and Hudson River in the east, to the long list of lakes, ponds and rivers that edge the route within the Adirondack Park, to the Erie Canal at the western terminus in Rome.  

 Staff from the New York State Department of Transportation Scenic Byways Program have approved the new logo which will be used at ANCA’s Adirondack North Country Scenic Byways website, on interpretive signs, maps, and brochures, and will eventually appear on official route signs that mark the roadway for travelers.  Considerations for use of the copyrighted logo appear at the “Info for Partners” section of the Byways website.

 This important destination enhancement was made possible with project funding from the Federal Highway Administration which is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation.  To learn more about Scenic Byways visit adirondackscenicbyways.org and to learn more about ANCA’s Energy, Forests, Agriculture, and Local Culture programs visit www.adirondack.org.

 A Byway logo is used to mark those routes, sites, and resources that are part of the official State Byway system.  The design and artwork may not be altered or redrawn in any way.  The assigned   logo color may not be altered.  Specific instructions regarding the graphic use of the logo may be found in the Adirondack North Country Scenic Byways Graphic Standards Manual.

Extensive research has gone into branding the individual Adirondack North Country Scenic Byways and ANCA is working to insure that the marketing of Byways upholds the high standards that are now in place as involved stakeholders move forward to promote their section of the travel routes.

The name and logo may be used with permission on printed informational materials that relate directly to the Byway such as maps and interpretive brochures that are distributed free of charge.

The name and logo may also be used with permission on Internet websites that that feature Byway Communities and provide information to travelers.  Examples:  municipal and tourism office sites.

The Adirondack North Country Association has not authorized or considered the use of the logo by for-profit entities for the Adirondack Trail, Central Adirondack Trail, and Olympic Scenic Byways.  Commercial enterprises may advertise that they serve Byway visitors but the use of the logo remains under the sole discretion of the Adirondack North Country Association

Other incorporated Byway organizations have permitted the use of the logo by supporting members only, thus allowing the Byway organization to capitalize on the logo.  This use has not been authorized for the Adirondack Trail, Central Adirondack Trail, and Olympic Scenic Byways.

Please direct all questions pertaining to the use of the Byway names and logos to the Adirondack North Country Association at 67 Main Street – Suite 201, Saranac Lake, New York 12983. 

Application forms for use of the logo are available upon request by calling 518-891-6200 or email us at sobrien@adirondack.org.

To start work on the project, a meeting involving interested town and village leaders, county legislators, and representatives from ANCA, the Industrial Development Agency, and Camoin Associates is planned for the evening of February 16 at the Paul Smith’s College, Joan Weill Library. Local government support for the effort will help secure the grant, according to State officials.

Contact Greg Hill at ANCA (518.891.6200) to learn more about the planned meeting and the study’s purpose. More information about the grant and application process also can be seen in a relevant report published recently in the Plattsburgh Press Republican at http://www.pressrepublican.com/tuesday/local_story_026001736.html.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html

The New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association awarded the APRAP its 2009 Planning Excellence Award for Best Practice. The study was released in the spring of 2009.

The Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages and the Adirondack North Country Association sponsored the APRAP, which studied the demographics, community life, government operations, land use, infrastructure, emergency services and education of communities in the Adirondack Park.

The study found that populations in the Park are growing older and sparser, school enrollments are decreasing while the number of school employees are increasing, and people with mailing addresses outside the Park own about 40 percent of residential parcels within it.

The APRAP was also featured in an article in the chapter’s December 2009 newsletter. Adirondack Daily Enterprise,  January 14, 2010.

Project Status:

The Adirondack North Country Association is aware that you and the staff at Tug Hill Commission are eagerly waiting word on the approval status for two regional Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plans. [ Black River Trail and Maple Traditions ] I spoke with DOT this week and have been informed that both documents are currently moving through the review process. The NYS Scenic Byway Program Coordinator is reading the comprehensive documents and collecting comments from involved regional office staff. Next, both documents will be presented to the NYS Scenic Advisory Board for review/approval and on to the NYS Legislature who act to officially designate the new Byway routes.

ANCA looks forward to State approval on the two submissions. We are eager to make any necessary edits, prepare CDs of the final CMPs and to organize plan release meetings for the communities in partnership with Tug Hill Commission for both Byways.

Good News:

I want you to know that the CMPs are already working for you.

New Scenic Byway program accomplishment….

Please visit https://www.nysdot.gov/e-zine/winter2009

The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) invites you to view the NYS Department of Transportation’s winter e-zine posting at DOT’s website. Each season NYSDOT creates a new E-zine which includes a featured NYS Scenic Byway. This season’s issue highlights the Black River Trail Scenic Byway. ANCA worked with DOT public relations staff to collect information for the article. We gave them information pulling data directly from the two draft CMPs.

The e-zine article is the first promotional coverage focusing exclusively on the Black River Trail and the Maple Traditions Scenic Byway area.

This type of travel and tourism visibility supports Byway communities. Once the proposed new Byway routes receive official designation ANCA will continue to educate the public on the desirability of the region as a unique destination offering a variety of special sites, experiences, and attractions across the counties.

Please share the news with any colleagues who might be interested in the story about your area and all that it offers to visitors and residents.

The communities look to the Byway Program to promote their special resources. You are now gaining visibility at DOT’s State website.

I will keep you posted on any new activity and look forward to working with you and the Tug Hill Commission.

Sharon O’Brien, Program Coordinator

Nadia Korths, Craft Programs Coordinator for ANCA since 1997, facilitates the lively and informal hands-on workshop. Korths has presented this workshop, and others about marketing, to almost a thousand businesses since 2000. Josh Pratt, The Wild Center gift shop manager since 2007, will be copresenting. The $35 fee includes the 45 page How to Establish and Maintain Wholesale Accounts Packet. For more information or questions, contact Korths at 518.891.1632 or at nkorths@adirondack.org.

The workshop is also recommended for first time exhibitors attending ANCA’s annual gift trade show, Buyer Days, Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April l, 2010 at the City Center in Saratoga Springs. Shop owners will be writing orders and buying product directly from show exhibitors as they have every year since 1987. Applications to both the workshop and the show can be downloaded from ANCA’s craft website, AdkNCcrafts.com or received by mail with a call to ANCA at 518.891.6200.

The Adirondack North Country Association is a non-profit private corporation that strengthens the economy and quality of life in the 14 counties of northern New York through informed, open debate and advocacy on economic issues critical to the region and through region wide action on projects in agriculture, crafts, business and community development, forestry, human services, the arts and tourism.

One of the top destinations in New York, The Wild Center is where the wild world of the Adirondacks opens before your eyes. The Wild Center strives to ignite an enduring passion for the Adirondacks where people and nature can thrive together and set an example for the world.

Analysis of the macroeconomic effects of Michigan’s Climate Action Plan indicates that implementation of a set of recommendations by the Michigan Climate Action Council (MCAC) would expand Michigan’s economy and cut household energy prices. The 54 recommended climate policy strategies focus on clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial process improvements, transportation improvements, forestry and agriculture conservation, and waste management.
Based on a state of the art macroeconomic analysis using the REMI Policy Insight Plus Model (REMI), implementation of these actions would, on balance, result in the following outcomes for Michigan between 2010 and 2025:
• 129,000 net new jobs in 2025
• Direct net cumulative savings of about $10 billion between 2010 and 2025
• Direct average cost savings of $10.20 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) removed
• $25 billion net gain in Gross State Product (in Net Present Value terms) from 2010-2025
• Reduced GHG emissions from Michigan sources by 121 MMTCO2e in 2025, or about 44 percent below expected emissions in 2025 compared to business as usual
• Residential energy price reductions by 2025 of:
o -1.39% for electricity
o -0.37% for gasoline
o -0.40% for fuel oil
o -0.60% for natural gas
On November 14, 2007 Governor Jennifer Granholm signed Executive Order 2007-42 creating the MCAC and charged it with producing a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory and Forecast and a comprehensive climate action plan with recommended emissions reduction goals and policy actions to mitigate climate change in all sectors of the economy, including state and local government. Steve Chester, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director, chaired, the MCAC.
In February 2009, after a more than a year of intensive stakeholder collaboration through a stepwise, fact based, joint policy development process, the MCAC recommended a suite of 54 climate mitigation policy actions. Of these, 33 were analyzed to quantify GHG cost effectiveness, environmental benefits, and the feasibility of implementation. Combined with actions already underway, recommendations would reduce GHGs to more than 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and generate net savings of $10 billion from 2009 to 2025. The MCAC also provided recommended guidance on federal policy integration with state and local programs.
A macroeconomic analysis was conducted as a supplement to the MCAC recommendations to support the development of implementation priorities. Analysis using the REMI model was conducted by Dr. Steve Miller of Michigan State University, and Dr. Adam Rose and Dr. Dan Wei of the University of Southern California, together with the technical team of the Center for Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) a nonpartisan, non-profit organization that has assisted 22 U.S. states with climate action plan development.
The REMI model has been extensively peer-reviewed and is the most widely used state-level economic modeling software package in the U.S. Among its many other uses, the REMI Model has been applied successfully to forecast the impacts of changes in tax rates, the exit or entry of major businesses, and the impacts of energy and environmental policy actions by many states.
Macroeconomic impact analysis was based on MCAC approved estimates of microeconomic impacts (cost effectiveness) and GHG reductions. In the course of the planning process, the detailed analytical methods, data sources, and assumptions need for cost effectiveness analysis for each were reviewed, tested and subjected to formal consensus determinations by the MCAC and numerous Technical Work Group (TWG) members. In the end, all but one of the 54 recommendations, including the 20 quantified and analyzed in the study reported here, were adopted by unanimous vote of the MCAC. Some measures were not quantified based on limited need or lack of data for complete analysis.
“This study is great news. Smart policies that protect the environment and reduce carbon pollution can and do create good jobs, keep energy costs in check, and inject vitality into Michigan’s economy,” said Chris Kolb, president of the Michigan Environmental Council. “We know that green jobs and clean energy were among the only sectors of Michigan’s economy that added jobs in the past several years. We’ve got a foot in the door of this new economy. It’s vital that we continue establishing strong policies that reward the kinds of decisions called for in the Climate Action Council recommendations.”
“The Michigan Climate Action Council’s recommendations underscore Michigan’s opportunity to be a national leader in environmental stewardship while creating thousands of jobs and a tremendous amount of economic value for the state,” said Dr. Gregg Zank, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Dow Corning Corporation and a member of the Michigan Climate Action Council. “Dow Corning and its joint venture Hemlock Semiconductor Group have invested $5 billion in the past 5 years in the research, development and manufacturing of solar materials – with most of that investment right here in Michigan. A vibrant alternative energy industry is emerging in this state, and it is critical that we build the policy and business climate in Michigan to sustain this growth and encourage new investment.”