Adirondack Park Agency Executive Director's Office Chronological Correspondence Files

Series consists of two sub-series: Executive Director's correspondence files and Counsel's correspondence files. Files within are arranged chronologically.

18851-12: Roughly chronological.

Executive Director's correspondence files document the executive director's leading role in the daily operations of the APA. The bulk of the records pertain to the administration of the statutes, rules, and regulations over which the agency has jurisdiction including the Adirondack Park Agency Act, the New York State Freshwater Wetlands Act, and the New York State Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System Act. Much of the correspondence and related materials pertain to applications for land use and development permits, applications for variances, and proposed amendments to the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan map. Also common are records relating to the revision of the State Land Master Plan, the Private Land Use and Development Plan, the APA rules and regulations, and the statutes mentioned above.

Additional recurring topics include establishment, staffing, and operation of the Visitor Interpretive Centers at Paul Smiths and Newcomb; preparations for the Adirondack Park centennial in 1992; wetlands preservation; acid rain; conservation education; applications for federal environmental protection grants; pesticide and herbicide use; solid waste management; collaboration with other state agencies involved in environmental protection; collaboration with the Department of Law on legal issues involving the APA; communication with the governor's office regarding correspondence or legislation requiring APA comment; and various state environmental quality bond acts.

Executive directors Vincent J. Moore (1979-1984), Thomas A. Ulasewicz (1984-1987), Robert C. Glennon (1987-1995), and Daniel T. Fitts (1995-1996) compiled the files. A small amount of correspondence compiled by APA chairmen Herman F. Cole, Jr. (1983-1987), John R. Collins, Jr. (1992-1995), and Gregory B. Campbell (1995-1997) is filed with the executive director's correspondence.

Robert C. Glennon served continuously as associate counsel and later chief legal counsel of the Adirondack Park Agency during the period from 1974 to 1987. Counsel's correspondence files document the counsel's daily handling of legal and jurisdictional matters involving the agency. Records include responses to public inquiries regarding agency land use and development regulations; notices of pending legal action for non-compliance with agency regulations; memoranda to case files regarding phone conversations or other developments; memoranda to agency members and staff regarding the status of individual permit applications; permit application hearing summaries and draft agency orders; correspondence with private attorneys and the Department of Law regarding pending litigation; correspondence and related materials pertaining to proposed amendments to the Adirondack Park Agency Act, the State Land Master Plan, the New York State Freshwater Wetlands Act, and the APA rules and regulations; correspondence with the governor's counsel regarding proposed environmental legislation; correspondence with other state agencies regarding jurisdiction over land use and development in the Adirondack Park; and correspondence with the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee.

An additional group of files was compiled by senior agency attorney David W. Quist during the period from 1992 to 1996. Cases documented in these files include Finch, Pruyn and Company, Inc. v. Adirondack Park Agency, in which Finch Pruyn challenged the agency's statutory authority to require the submission of a comprehensive master plan as part of the permit application process; Schultz v. Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation, which involved constitutional questions stemming from the contemplated use of agency facilities for the purpose of an "Environmental Sabbath in Celebration of Earth Day"; and Dudley Road Association v. Adirondack Park Agency, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation et al., in which the plaintiff challenged the order and permit granted to Barber Homestead Trust and Edwin Barber to construct a forty-six unit recreational vehicle park.

18851-96, 18851-98: Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives through interlibrary loan.

18851-12: This microfilm is the master camera negative copy. No use copies are presently available.

18851-12: Reel list is available at the repository.

18851-12: This microfilm also contains records from accretion 18855-12. The film was transferred to the State Archives under records disposition number 21702.

This collection's description was enhanced as a part of the New York State Archives Environmental History Virtual Research Collection Project, 2004. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided funding for this project.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.