The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park (Adirondack Museum Books)

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.