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Algonquin view
Algonquin Mountain
 
© Ben Stechschulte
Summit Steward in action
 
© Peter Zeka

The Summit Steward Program

A thing is right when it tends to preserve the stability,integrity, and beauty of the bioticcommunity. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.
- Aldo Leopold

More than fifty years ago, Aldo Leopold wrote these thoughts in his celebrated essay, "The Land Ethic." Today, on the high summits of the Adirondack Mountains, his words remain true as we work to preserve a living museum of our natural history. The Summit Steward Program helps preserve alpine vegetation in the Adirondacks. Our goal is to instill an "Alpine Land Ethic" in hikers.

Finding a Balance - Summit Stewardship
The last forty years have been tumultuous times for alpine communities. The hiking boom in the late 1960s brought thousands of people to the summits who were unaware of the fragile nature of these ecosystems. Hikers walked and camped on the tundra meadows unaware of the damage they were causing. Evidence of disturbance is quite visible in the High Peaks today, and to a certain extent the meadows continue to be impacted by hikers who have yet to meet a Summit Steward or read a sign! Alpine plants are incredibly sensitive to footsteps because of the environment they live in. Over a growing season, a plant is able to produce only enough energy to carry out its basic life cycle. They cannot compensate for root damages caused by trampling, and are therefore easily killed by it.

When the plants die and their roots are lost, soil that took more than ten thousand years to accumulate is easily eroded by wind and water. It can take centuries for a damaged alpine meadow to recover.

As a response to this problem, the Summit Steward Program began in 1990 as a cooperative effort of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, the Adirondack Mountain Club, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It was modeled after a similar program that began in Vermont on Mount Mansfield in the 1970's. From May to October, Summit Stewards provide an educational presence on the summits that are most threatened by hiker trampling. Stewards spend up to five days at a time in the backcountry interacting with hikers and encouraging them to:

  • Walk on the trail and solid rock surfaces
  • Leave the endangered plants in place, do not pick them
  • Avoid walking on bare dirt or gravel where plants can grow 
  • Keep dogs leashed above timberline 
  • Share the summit steward message with others


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