The Adirondack Atlas provides a portal to the past, a mirror of the present, and a window to the future for a remarkable land and its people. It brings to life the rich mix of history, culture, economics, and wilderness that characterizes the Adirondack region, including its vast capacity for adaptation and recovery. From its geologic origins to its contentious history of conservation, the Adirondack Park occupies a distinctive place among the world's protected areas. As the park enters the twenty-first century, more than half its land remains in private hands, and conflict is a recurrent theme in the Adirondack conservation legacy. More than 130,000 year-round residents strive to adapt to ever-changing economic challenges, while the beaver, moose, and martin thrive within a widely restored ecosystem. Yet for all its flaws, the Adirondack experiment is increasingly relevant in a world where people, wilderness, and wildlife must find ways to coexist. The Adirondack Atlas uses geographical information systems to generate and interpret a broad range of information from social, economic, historical, and environmental documentary sources. The writers, in a joint effort with the Wildlife Conservation Society, provide a thought-provoking, multifaceted image of a fascinating region and include hundreds of full-color figures and maps that form a detailed analysis of every aspect of the Adirondacks.
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