Sustainable Slopes
EverGreen Kids
Whiteface is proud to introduce our new initiative at Kid’s Kampus for the 2004/2005 season and beyond. Each child ages 3-12 that participates in children’s programs at Whiteface will have a tree planted in their name on the edges of the Kid’s Kampus/Easy Acres trail system.
Snowmaking
Last year, Whiteface retooled all older model snowmaking guns resulting in an energy efficiency increase of over 25%. This year Whiteface purchased an additional 30 low-energy, tower mounted snow guns. This summer Whiteface also replaced all air compressors with more efficient, oil free air compressors. The results will be an increase in air capacity by 33%.
What Skiers, Snowboarders, and Ski Area Guests can do to help:
Follow the Leave No Trace TM Principles of outdoor ethics when visiting ski areas: Plan ahead and prepare: Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit, prepare for winter weather, and consider off-peak visits when scheduling your trip.
- - Dispose of waste properly: Recycle your glass, plastics, aluminum and paper at at Whiteface. Appropriate recycling receptacles are provided in all food areas. Reuse trail maps on your next visit or recycle them rather than throwing them away. Never throw trash, cigarette butts or other items from lifts.
- - Respect wildlife: In summer and winter, stick to designated trails when hiking and biking to avoid disturbances to vegetation and wildlife.
- - Be considerate of other guests: Respect other guests, protect the quality of their experience, and let nature’s sounds prevail.
- - Carpool with friends and family or use transit to avoid traffic when traveling to and within ski area
- Turn off the lights when leaving your room and reuse bath towels and linens to help conserve energy and water.
- Provide feedback and let ski areas know how the can improve their environmental performance.
Adirondack Park
The Adirondack Park was created in 1892 by the State of New York amid concerns for the water and timber resources of the region. Today the Park is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined. The boundary of the Park encompasses approximately 6 million acres, nearly half of which belongs to all the people of New York State and is constitutionally protected to remain “forever wild” forest preserve. The remaining half of the Park is private land which includes settlements, farms, timber lands, businesses, homes, and camps.
The Adirondack region boasts over 3,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and a wide variety of habitats, including globally unique wetland types and old growth forests. The heart of the Adirondack Park is the Forest Preserve, which was created by an act of the Legislature in 1885 which stated, “The lands now or hereafter constituting the Forest Preserve shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be sold, nor shall they be leased or taken by any person or corporation, public or private.” The state of New York owns approximately 43 percent, or roughly 2.6 million acres of land within the Park’s boundaries. The remaining private lands are devoted principally to forestry, agriculture, and open space recreation. The Adirondack Park is unique in its intricate mixture of public and private lands. About 130,000 people live here year round in its 105 towns and villages. The harmonious blend of private and public lands give the Adirondacks a diversity found nowhere else – a diversity of open space and recreational lands, of wildlife and flora, of mountains and meadows, and people of all walks of life.
In order to identify and protect the natural resources of the Park, all parcels and lots of land, in both the private and public sectors, are classified in the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan Map and State Land Map. The largest single category of land (totaling 1.3 million acres) is Wild Forest, where a variety of outdoor recreation activities are allowed. Other categories of State Lands are: Primitive and Canoe areas; Intensive Use areas (such as public camp grounds and Whiteface), and State Historic Sites. The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan sets policy for the management of the state owned lands. Developed by the Adirondack Park Agency in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and approved by the Governor of New York State, the Master Plan was first adopted in 1972. The actual management of the State Lands is carried out by DEC forest rangers, foresters, environmental conservation officers, and other state personnel.
The Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan also apply to the remaining 3.4 million acres of private land in the Park. The Plan is designed to conserve the Park’s natural resources and open-space character by directing and clustering development so as to minimize its impact on the Park. Under the Plan, all private lands are mapped into six land use classifications: hamlet, moderate intensity use, low intensity use, rural use, resource management, and industrial use. Guidelines are specified for the intensity of development within each category, based on number of buildings per square mile. Projects of regional significance usually require a permit from the Adirondack Park Agency.
Whiteface is proud to be a charter member of Sustainable Slopes and
The Environmental Charter for Ski Areas
