The Adirondack State Park, also known as the Adirondack Park is a large state park in northeast New York. It is the largest state park in the United States, covering a land area about the size of Massachusetts. Not all of the land within the park is owned by the state, but new sections are purchased or donated frequently. The park contains the highest peaks (High Peaks) in New York State, including Mount Marcy the highest elevation in the state. About one-half of the park's six million acres (24,000 km²) are in the public domain.

Initial efforts to protect this land began in 1882, when legislation declared that the land in the Adirondack State Park and the Catskill State Park was to be conserved and never put up for sale or lease. The park was established in 1892, due to the activities of Verplanck Colvin and other conservationists. The park was given constitutional protection in 1895, so that the state-owned lands within its bounds would be protected forever ("forever wild"). The part of the Adirondack State Park under government control is referred to as the Adirondack Preserve.

On-going efforts have been made to re-introduce native fauna that had been lost in the park during earlier exploitation. Animals in various stages of re-introduction include: Beaver, Fisher, American Marten, Moose, Lynx, and Osprey. Not all of these restoration efforts have been successful yet.

The park has a year-round population of about 130,000 people in dozens of villages and hamlets. There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles of streams and rivers. Many areas within the park are devoid of settlments and distant from usable roads.

The Adirondack Park Agency (created 1971) is a governmental agency that performs long-range planning for the future of the Adirondack State Park. It oversees development plans of private land-owners as well as activities within the Adirondack Preserve. Development by private owners must be reviewed to determine if their plan is compatible with the park.

See also

• List of New York state parks
• Adirondack Mountains

External links

• New York Adirondack Park Agency
• New York Department of Environmental Conservation
• The Adirondack Museum