Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation

THE MISSION OF THE CORPORATION IS TO MONITOR CHANGES TO NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN ECOLOGICAL ZONE WITH A FOCUS ON WATER QUALITY, ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION, FISH SURVEYS, AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL STUDIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF REGULATORY AGENCIES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ITS MISSION IS ACCOMPLISHED BY WORKING WITH NEW YORK STATE (NYS), FEDERAL AGENCIES, OTHER AGENCIES, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH AN EXCHANGE OF OBJECTIVE INFORMATION.

THE ADIRONDACK LAKES SURVEY CORPORATION (THE CORPORATION) WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1983 TO UNDERTAKE COMPREHENSIVE BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL SURVEYS OF ADIRONDACK WATERS, TO STUDY THE WATER QUALITY AND THE EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN, TO DISSEMINATE THIS INFORMATION AND CONTRIBUTE TO SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING THROUGH STUDIES AND OUTREACH. FOR OVER 30 YEARS, THE CORPORATION HAS CARRIED OUT THIS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL MISSION REGARDING ECOSYSTEM ACIDIFICATION IN THE ADIRONDACKS. THE CORPORATION IS A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION; IT OPERATES OUT OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION (DEC) REGION 5 HEADQUARTERS IN RAY BROOK, NY. TO CONDUCT ITS MISSION, THE CORPORATION HAD RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THREE SOURCES: THE NEW YORK STATE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (NYSERDA), NYSDEC (DEC), AND THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA). IN 2018, SUPPORT SHIFTED TO NYSERDA, DEC AND A NEW AGREEMENT WITH NYS. WORK ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN TOWARD THE MISSION GOALS ARE PERFORMED BY HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF, WHICH THE CORPORATION CONSIDERS TO BE ITS GREATEST ASSET. THE CORPORATION'S HISTORY OF SELECTING AND RETAINING KEY STAFF HAS BEEN, AND CONTINUES TO BE, CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE WORK OF THE CORPORATION. THE CORPORATION'S ADIRONDACK LONG-TERM MONITORING (ALTM) PROGRAM PROVIDED FOR INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN LAKE AND STREAM ACIDIFICATION RECOVERY THROUGH INTERPRETATION OF THE TRENDS ACROSS LAKE CLASSES AND FOR PARTICIPATION IN MORE INTENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS OF THESE WATERSHEDS BY ACQUISITION OF SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND/OR BY CONDUCTING ADDITIONAL FIELD SAMPLING. DUE TO A REDUCTION IN SCOPE AND FUNDING, ACTIVITIES WERE SCALED BACK SIGNIFICANTLY BEGINNING IN 2018. FOR THE ALTM PROGRAM, LABORATORY SAMPLING WAS DISCONTINUED, AND FIELD SAMPLING WAS REDUCED FROM PREVIOUS LEVELS AND PERFORMED SEASONALLY, SUPPLEMENTED BY A MODERATE LEVEL OF RELATED ACTIVITIES. STAFFING TRANSITIONED FROM 8 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES IN 2017 TO SEVERAL EXPERIENCED PART TIME EMPLOYEES SINCE 2018. IN 2018, THE CORPORATION RECEIVED NEW FUNDING FROM NYS TO PROVIDE KEY FISHERIES SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDES LABORATORY SERVICES, TO THE NYSDEC, AND WHICH COULD POSSIBLY HELP RESTORE BROOK TROUT TO LAKES WITHIN THE ADIRONDACKS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY ACIDIFIED.