{"id":9845,"date":"2026-10-09T14:27:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T18:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=9845"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:21:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:21:40","slug":"pef-member-highlights-adirondack-park-history-on-dec-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-44-no-9\/pef-member-highlights-adirondack-park-history-on-dec-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"PEF member highlights Adirondack Park history on DEC podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KalebOctober 9, 2026 — <\/em>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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the \u201cDEC Does What?!\u201d 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The report caught the attention of New York State officials and was printed in the NYS Museum of Natural History\u2019s annual report. In it, he tied clear-cutting of Adirondack forests to reduced water flow in the state\u2019s 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"PEF
PEF member Kaleb Winters out on a land surveying job.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSince 2005, I have been following the work of Verplanck Colvin,\u201d Winters said. \u201cI have also participated in official recreations and recoveries of Colvin\u2019s work with the Colvin Crew, a nonprofit organization that perpetuates his legacy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Colvin Crew member since 2015, Winters helped plan the International Surveyors Historical Society Rendezvous in Lake George in 2016. The program, \u201cThe Verplanck Colvin Story, Adirondack Wilderness Surveyor and Savior,\u201d highlighted Colvin\u2019s role in preserving the park and open spaces. <\/span>Learn more about Verplanck Colvin from this 1954 article in <\/span>The Conservationist<\/span><\/i> magazine.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s College in the Adirondacks for its surveying program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"PEF
PEF member Kaleb Winters in the NYS Archives, where he works with historic land title research and the records of Verplanck Colvin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI really fell in love with land surveying there,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, my day-to-day job consists of historic land title research and assisting the state Attorney General\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through his state job, Winters began managing and researching DEC\u2019s 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 <\/span>New York Archives Magazine<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>NYS Conservationist Magazine<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, DEC asked me to do an episode of the \u2018DEC Does What?!\u2019 podcast,\u201d he said. \u201cOn the podcast, I talk about how DEC\u2019s Bureau of Real Property carries on Colvin\u2019s work statewide through land acquisition and conservation easements that protect forest land.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Newly elected to the Executive Board, Winters is a passionate labor advocate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been organizing for social justice, labor, the environment, and independent working-class politics in earnest since 2009,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough 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.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have taken on leadership roles within Division 169, serving as statewide Labor Management Chair, Assistant Council Leader, and Central Office Chief Shop Steward,\u201d he said. \u201cI enjoy helping my union colleagues with their issues and seeing them get wins and make changes that improve their lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: To listen to the \u201cDEC Does What?!\u201d podcast, search for it by name and subscribe in your preferred podcast app. <\/span><\/i>Here is a direct link to the episode featuring Kaleb Winters on Spotify.<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-9845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-44-no-9"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPEF member highlights Adirondack Park history on DEC podcast - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-44-no-9\/pef-member-highlights-adirondack-park-history-on-dec-podcast\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PEF member highlights Adirondack Park history on DEC podcast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"October 9, 2026 — The Adirondack Park is well known and beloved across the United States and the world. 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