The Atlas is the most comprehensive collection of data and information on the Adirondack Park ever brought together in this format, but it goes beyond the standard form of a reference book to consider issues of regional significance such as climate change, acid rain, survival of farms and commercial forests, tourism and recreational use, and patterns of development.

The book is a collection of maps and stories about the animals, plants, places and people of the Adirondack Park, and it offers a synthesis of the rich range of topics shaping the Adirondack landscape.  The content is wide-ranging; there are maps of Indian wars, deer harvests, nuclear weapons, and school budgets; graphs of birth rates, beaver harvests, and burglaries; and stories about the complex cycles of Adirondack history--growth and decline, establishment and abandonment, and extinction and return. 

Everyone who lives in or visits this region will find both questions and answers in the pages of the Atlas to inform, perplex, and inspire.  The book was conceived of as a project that would bridge perspectives and cross town lines.  It will serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the region’s environment, history, geography, or local economy.  More broadly, it will serve an important role in interpreting and teaching us about the complex relationship between humans and nature in an area with the potential to serve as a model for the world.

The Adirondack Atlas is the culmination of an intensive, multi-year effort by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program to gather and analyze regional data.  The group gathered existing data sets and created new ones, drawing on the rich resources of the Adirondack community.  Jerry Jenkins, the book’s author, is responsible for all of the book’s text, illustrations, final maps & design.  Andy Keal provided research, GIS data and preliminary maps.  Bill Weber directed the project, and Zoë Smith, Heidi Kretser and Leslie Karasin did primary research for the project. 

The book's popularity is evident; it has already sold out multiple printings.  ACCP is now considering ways to bring the Atlas' ideas to a wider audience.  We are currently working with partners to develop educational curricula based on the Atlas' content, as well as considering other opportunities.  We would be happy to hear your ideas on this topic. 

In the interest of ensuring that the Atlas would be used throughout the region, ACCP provided complimentary copies of the book to all of the public libraries in the Park. 

If you would like to buy the book: