What It Takes for Adirondack Communities to Thrive

About this episode

The Adirondacks are more than mountains, lakes, and spectacular scenery. They're also home to the people who run the restaurants, maintain the roads, staff the hospitals, operate the farms, and keep small towns alive. And the challenges facing those year-round communities affect everyone who loves spending time here. Why is your favorite restaurant closed several days a week? Why are housing and healthcare increasingly difficult to access? And what will it take to ensure the next generation can afford to build a life in the North Country? In this episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve welcome Blake Gendebien, a second-generation dairy farmer, owner of Twin Mill Farms, and Democratic congressional candidate in New York's 21st District. NY-21 covers roughly 16,000 square miles, including the entire Adirondack Park. From the St. Lawrence River and Canadian border to Lake Champlain, Lake George, the Mohawk Valley, and communities such as Rome and Glens Falls, it encompasses remarkably different places facing many of the same challenges. For perspective, that's bigger than the states of Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Drawing on his exper