October 9, 2026 — The Adirondack Park is well known and beloved across the United States and the world. It is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States.
Earlier this year, the “DEC Does What?!” podcast featured PEF Executive Board member Kaleb Winters, a land surveyor, discussing the story of Verplanck Colvin, superintendent of the New York State Adirondack Survey, and his push to create the park.
Verplanck Colvin (1847-1920) was a surveyor who began exploring the Adirondack wilderness in 1866. In 1870, he saw the extensive damage being done by lumbermen in the Adirondacks, wrote a report about what he saw, and read it at the Albany Institute.
The report caught the attention of New York State officials and was printed in the NYS Museum of Natural History’s annual report. In it, he tied clear-cutting of Adirondack forests to reduced water flow in the state’s canals and rivers. In 1872, Colvin applied to the NYS Legislature for a stipend to cover the costs of a survey of the Adirondacks, was successful, and was subsequently named the Superintendent of the Adirondack Survey. By 1900, Colvin had completed the most thorough survey of the Adirondacks ever accomplished.
“Since 2005, I have been following the work of Verplanck Colvin,” Winters said. “I have also participated in official recreations and recoveries of Colvin’s work with the Colvin Crew, a nonprofit organization that perpetuates his legacy.”
A Colvin Crew member since 2015, Winters helped plan the International Surveyors Historical Society Rendezvous in Lake George in 2016. The program, “The Verplanck Colvin Story, Adirondack Wilderness Surveyor and Savior,” highlighted Colvin’s role in preserving the park and open spaces. Learn more about Verplanck Colvin from this 1954 article in The Conservationist magazine.
A chance meeting with a NYSDEC land surveying crew on his way home from high school stuck with Winters and led him to a rewarding career. Though he considered studying to become a studio musician, he chose Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks for its surveying program.
“I really fell in love with land surveying there,” he said. “Now, my day-to-day job consists of historic land title research and assisting the state Attorney General’s Office in approving titles so DEC can acquire more land for public recreation throughout New York State. I also support our 16 licensed state land surveyors and 10 assistant surveyors across nine regions.”
Through his state job, Winters began managing and researching DEC’s original Verplanck Colvin records in 2020. In 2023, he was asked to present on Colvin at the spring 2024 NYS Archives Partnership Trust steward program, promoting New York Archives Magazine and NYS Conservationist Magazine.
“After that, DEC asked me to do an episode of the ‘DEC Does What?!’ podcast,” he said. “On the podcast, I talk about how DEC’s Bureau of Real Property carries on Colvin’s work statewide through land acquisition and conservation easements that protect forest land.”
A union land surveyor in public service for more than 16 years, Winters has more than 24 years of experience. He has been a PEF member for 10 years: four with the Office of General Services and six with DEC in Divisions 179 and 169 respectively.
Newly elected to the Executive Board, Winters is a passionate labor advocate.
“I have been organizing for social justice, labor, the environment, and independent working-class politics in earnest since 2009,” he said. “Through doing this work, I believe that labor unions are one of the most democratic institutions workers will experience in their lives. Organizing working people is necessary to achieve control over the pace and methods of our work and our lives.”
Recognizing the struggles of his peers, he ran for steward at the start of the pandemic and continues to take on leadership roles in PEF.
“I have taken on leadership roles within Division 169, serving as statewide Labor Management Chair, Assistant Council Leader, and Central Office Chief Shop Steward,” he said. “I enjoy helping my union colleagues with their issues and seeing them get wins and make changes that improve their lives.”
Winters also serves as a PEF delegate at Convention and the Vice President of the Troy Area Labor Council that was established in 1881 and has more than 40 affiliated local unions representing more than 15,000 workers throughout Rensselaer County.
Editor’s Note: To listen to the “DEC Does What?!” podcast, search for it by name and subscribe in your preferred podcast app. Here is a direct link to the episode featuring Kaleb Winters on Spotify.