Environmental History: Researching the Environment

Value of Enviromental History Records for Research

Within the Environmental History Collection you will find links to records and images that document the wide array of public and private perspectives on the acquisition, management, and use of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.

•  They shed light on the environmental, cultural, social, political, economic, and scientific history of New York State's two great natural areas.

•  They provide a wealth of information not only on the forest preserves, but the parks, their inhabitants, and the millions of tourists who have visited them for well over a century.

•  Form a body of unique and diverse primary research material that is unparalleled for the study and interpretation of the Adirondacks and Catskills and their impact on society.

The records represented here address issues of

•  acquisition (property seizures, legislation, acquisition and lawsuits resulting development of the Ashokan Reservoir which forced hundreds of residents off of their land and submerged entire villages to provide more drinking water for New York City)

•  management (shoreline and wetland usage, construction of roads and highways including the Adirondack Northway/Interstate 87, water resource development, regulations)

•  use by businesses (lumber industry, forest products, development of ski areas, Olympics)

•  and use by individuals (recreation activities, land ownership, property loss compensation, great camps, limits on private land use, conservation efforts).

The records document

•  the history of science and technology, particularly 18th and 19th century cartography and surveying (for instance the largest and most comprehensive state-supported topographical survey of the 19 th century).

•  the rise of wilderness exploration

•  programs (such as Department of Environmental Conservation's the reforestation and endangered species programs) designed to protect as well as manage the natural resources of the Adirondacks and Catskills

•  efforts by the State to work with the federal government,

other states, localities, and the private sector to study, contain, and mitigate the harmful effects of acid rain.

They also provide insight into

•  Changing popular and scholarly beliefs about nature and humanity's relationship to it

•  the birth of the conservation movement that flourished in New York State and throughout the nation in the late 19 th and early 20 th century.

The Collection also contains thousands of photographs which provide stunning visual documentation about the exploration, conservation, and resource management of the Adirondacks and Catskills. Included are

•  photographs of naturalist photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard

•  images of forestry practices held by Cornell University

•  pictures taken by students and professors at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.