Adirondack Mountain Club

The goal of Discovering the Ausable: An Aquatic Stewardship Program is to introduce high school aged youth to a broad spectrum of aquatic ecology and watershed stewardship concepts while nurturing a love for the outdoors. We aim to provide a course that is fun, safe, and educational.

 

This Aquatic Stewardship Program is hosted at ADK’s Education Yurt Village, located at 1002 Adirondack Loj Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946. The program will be led by two of ADK’s Education Department staff and Ausable River Association staff. Parents or guardians should plan on meeting with the trip leaders at ADK’s Education Yurt Village at 9:00am on Day 1 for introductions and an overview of the program. This is where parents or guardians will also pick up the participants at 11:00am on Day 5.  

On day one, after reviewing our itinerary, we will review our clothing and equipment, and get settled in our yurt basecamp for the week. During the afternoon of the first day we will hike to the summit of Mt. Jo and talk about watersheds. Participants will be sleeping in lodging yurts and/or tents at night, and should be prepared to spend most of the week outside. On day two we will paddle Heart Lake and Mirror Lake while learning paddling skills and water sampling methods. On day three we will make stops along the Ausable River watershed, study macroinvertebrates and fish, and look at development impacts along the way. On day four, students will participate in a watershed clean-up event along a stretch of the Ausable River. On the day five we will review the program and break down camp. Participants will be free to leave by 11:00am. 

Group equipment (stoves, fuel bottles, cook sets, water filters, first aid kit, paddles, canoes, etc.) will be provided by ADK. All meals and snacks will also be provided. Participants are expected to provide their own clothing, eating utensils, and other personal items. A packing list will be shared upon registration.