The Adirondack Council Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Clean water: protecting the pristine waters of the adirondacks and safeguarding the health of both our natural world and human communities. - survey of climate and adirondack lake ecosystems (scale): secured $2 million in 2025 budget and $6.5 million over last 4 years to fund scientific monitoring that will track the response of adirondack lakes to climate change.- road salt reduction council legislation: during the 2025 ny legislative session, the council led efforts to develop, introduce, and advocate for legislation that will advance critical road salt reduction efforts in the park and across nys. - see schedule o for clean water infrastructure. - clean water infrastructure: council advocacy was critical to raising the matching caps on clean water infrastructure grants from 25% to 50%, drastically reducing the costs for rural communities to undertake otherwise unaffordable water quality improvement projects. Approximately $194 million in clean water funding has been granted to adirondack towns and villages since 2016, leveraging more than $350 million.clean air & climate: advancing bold clean air and climate solutions to preserve our globally significant landscape and protect adirondack communities.- federal deregulation: the council is a member of a coalition of 60 national and regional environmental organizations working to defend existing epa pollution reduction and monitoring programs and protect standards that limit public health hazards like mercury contamination and ozone exposure at high elevations. - renewable energy infrastructure: the council conditionally supported permit approval for a 40 mw solar project in the southern region of the park. This project demonstrates how utility-scale renewable energy and agricultural uses can be feasible without compromising crucial ecological functions.wildlands: championing adirondack park conservation and advocating for a sustainable future for our most wild places.- funding secured for saranac chain of lakes study: the council helped secure $1 million to fund an inaugural state-funded waterbody carrying capacity study that will provide guidance to the state on data-informed best management practices for adirondack waterbodies. - increased the state's environmental protection fund (epf): the council helped secure a record $425 million for the epf that provides tens of millions for open space protection and invasive species prevention each, and $60 million for the management of state lands, including visitor safety and wilderness protection.- adirondack park state land master plan protections: the council successfully worked to block proposed changes to the state land master plan that would have permitted motorized vehicle access in wilderness areas, where it is currently prohibited. To achieve this end, the council mobilized a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the accessibility community, state agencies, and the public, generating over 1,000 comments urging the state to uphold wilderness protections while ensuring appropriate public access.working lands & strong communities: promoting practical solutions for farming and forestry that sustain our lands and strengthen adirondack communities.- green jobs: the council has helped secure an additional $1.7 million in funds ($7.1 million total over four years) for the timbuctoo institute. This multi-organization effort brings students from urban communities to the adirondacks to learn about jobs in wilderness preservation, forest management, and clean energy.- essex farm institute: after a decade, the council has concluded its agricultural micro-grants program, which awarded over $265,000 to farmers and producers across the adirondacks. A final report, released in april 2025, highlights its impact on advancing climate-friendly farming and energy-efficient infrastructure.- adirondack park agency appointments: the council worked aggressively to secure a full slate of appointments to the adirondack park agency. This is the fi

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 84.2%; rating input score 84
• Program expense ratio: 76.1%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $17.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 10.8%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.24; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 26.3%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings