Environmental & Energy Law Section Fall Meeting 2023

Agenda

Tuesday, September 26

Optional Tuesday Activities:

10:00 a.m.

Hike with Carl Howard

Meet in the lobby at the Main Hotel. Wear sturdy hiking boots and carry a day-pack with lunch, water, and a jacket to climb mounts Tom and/or Thomas at a steady pace. Hikers will return in time for the 4:30 meeting. Rain cancels the hike. 

Anytime:                                   

The Spa at The Sagamore

Reservations Recommended 2 weeks in Advance

Open Daily 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

https://www.opalcollection.com/sagamore/spa/

(518) 743-6081

Take some time to enjoy the Sagamore Spa, with 14 treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy feature. There are many face, body and message options to consider to relax and refresh.

10:00 a.m., Noon, OR 2:00 p.m.

Morgan Boat Cruise

Free to guests of The Sagamore. No reservation required. Boarding begins 15 minutes prior to departure. Hotel check in is at 4:00 p.m., but guests are welcome to check their bags at the front desk and sail before check in. 

Important Note: Boarding is first come first served. Arrival at least 15 minutes before sailing is recommended. 

Departures at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Cruise into the Narrows on The Sagamore’s Morgan!

The Morgan is a 72-foot replica of 19th century touring vessel. Some of the best views of the Adirondacks can be while cruising through the Narrows section of Lake George.

The cruise is approximately 1.5 hours long and available to Sagamore Resort guests only. 

Anytime:                                    

Golf at The Sagamore

46 Frank Cameron Road, Bolton Landing, NY 12814

Pro Club: (518)743-6380

Book tee times online: https://www.opalcollection.com/sagamore/golf/

The 18-hole Sagamore Golf Course features breathtaking views of Lake George and was designed and built under Donald Ross’s personal supervision in 1928. The Sagamore’s par 70 championship course is located on the mainland and features a practice range, professional instruction and an award-winning Pro Shop. Shuttle service is provided between the golf course and the resort.

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.                 

Executive Committee Meeting

Main Hotel Dollar Island West Room

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.                 

Conference Check-In / Registration

Conference Center

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.                 

Reception

Conference Center Mountainview Terrace

Rain Location: CC Foyer Northwest                 

Beer, wine, cocktails and light refreshments

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.                 

Dinner

Conference Center: Nirvana

Dinner Speakers:

Brad Edmondson

Author, A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondack Park

The story of the APA, told here for the first time, is a complex, troubled tale of political dueling and communities pushed to the brink of violence. The book is based on in-depth interviews with five dozen insiders who are central to the story. Their observations contain many surprising and shocking revelations. This is a rich, exciting narrative about state power and how it was imposed on rural residents. It shows how the Adirondacks were "saved," and also why that campaign sparked a passionate rebellion.

Bernard Melewski, Esq.

Author, “Inside the Green Lobby: The Fight to Save the Adirondack Park”

Inside the Green Lobby recounts the behind-the-scenes efforts, both at the State Capitol in Albany and the halls of Congress, of a lobbyist for a major environmental advocacy group. Bernard C. Melewski worked to save the six-million acre Adirondack Park from twin threats to its future: the devastating damage from acid rain and the sudden breakup of massive private land holdings that had been intact for almost one hundred years. Starting with the political uproar ignited by the recommendations of New York Governor Mario Cuomo's 1990 Adirondack Park Commission, and the rejection by the public of a new environmental bond act, Inside the Green Lobby documents the events that led to the sudden acquisition by New York State of tens of thousands of acres within the park that the public now enjoys.

Post Dinner Gathering               

Caldwell's | Sagamore Main Hotel - Off off of the Lobby

Join us for an after-dinner drink!

Self-Pay

Wednesday, September 27

7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.                 

Breakfast Buffet

Conference Center Mountainview Terrace

Rain Location: Nirvana

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.                 

Registration/CLE Sign

Conference Center

8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.                 

Welcome and Introductions

Section Chair

Yvonne E. Hennessey, Esq.

Barclay Damon LLP

Albany, NY

Program Chair

Amy K. Kendall, Esq.

Knauf Shaw LLP

Rochester, NY

8:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.                 

The Adirondack Park and Land Use Plan at 50

Speakers:

Richard Booth, Esq., Former Board Member, Adirondack Park Agency, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Ithaca, NY

Chris Navitsky, P.E., Lake George Waterkeeper, Lake George Association

Lake George, NY

Claudia K. Braymer, Esq., Braymer Law PLLC, Glens Falls, NY

Bernard Melewski, Esq., Of Counsel, The Boutique Firm, Altamont, NY

Daniel F. Kelleher, Special Assistant for Economic Affairs,, Adirondack Park Agency, Ray Brook, NY

1.0 MCLE Credits Areas of Professional Practice

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.               

Adirondack Climate Change, Land Use, and Compliance with the Climate Action Scoping Plan

Speakers:

Prof. J. Curt Stager, Natural Sciences, Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, NY

Caitlin Stephen, Esq., Acting Bureau Chief for Climate, Air, & Energy, NYSDEC Office of General Counsel, Albany, NY

Daniel A. Ruzow, Esq., Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP. Albany, NY

Jan S. Kublick, Esq., McMahon Kublick, PC, Syracuse, NY

1.0 MCLE Credit Areas of Professional Practice

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.              

Coffee Break 9coffee available until 11:30 a.m.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.             

Waste Not, Want Not: Beneficial Use and the Revised Part 360 Regulations

Speakers:

Lisa Wilkinson, Esq.

Associated Counsel, Office of General Counsel

Bureau Chief, Minerals, Materials Management and Environmental Permits

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Albany, NY

David Vitale

Director, Division of Materials Management

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Albany, NY

Richard Clarkson

Assistant Director, Division of Materials Management

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Albany, NY

James Smyth, P.E.

Senior Engineer, Roux, Islandia, NY

1.0 MCLE Credit Areas of Professional Practice

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.               

Environmental Justice in the Adirondacks: Exploring Equity, Inclusion and Safety in the Great Outdoors

Speakers:

Jose Almanzar, Esq., Holland & Knight LLP, New York, NY

Senator Zellnor Myrie, New York State Senate 20^th District

Chair, Elections Committee, Brooklyn, NY

Benita Law-Diao, Board Member, Adirondack Park Agency

Dietician, NYS Department of Health (retired)

1.0 MCLE Credit Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.                 

Luncheon

Conference Center Nirvana

Keynote Speaker:

Conservationist Peter Paine

Board Member, Adirondack Park Agency

Adjournment