As residents of Hamilton, New York, it is difficult to ignore the environmental issues that have plagued the Adirondacks in recent years.  An area just northeast of Colgate University, the Adirondacks is an area of mountain peaks, lakes, and rivers.  To the naked eye, observers see the beauty and the serenity of the area.  However, the Dax, as locals call it, has faced and continue to face a problem more veiled than what the eyes can see: acid rain. 

The effects of acid-rain pollution in the Adirondacks are staggering.  For example, according to The Adirondack Mountain Club’s website, almost 25% of Adirondack lakes can not support plant and aquatic life, with that percentage growing every year.  Lakes also experience ‘acid shock’ as acid-rich snow melts, filling up lakes and waterways, and thus stunting the growth of plant and animal life during the time when buds form after the long cold winter.  Trees are dying, the biodiversity is shrinking, and with them, the aesthetics are disappearing as well.

The effects of the acid rain in the Adirondack Park are great in number and diverse in category.  Fish populations in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams have decreased significantly, as have the vegetation and wildlife on land, leading to significant decreases in the biodiversity of the region.   For those species of fish able to sustain life in light of the high levels of sulfur dioxide in the water, there is yet another problem.  Dangerously high levels of mercury are often found in species of fish and other aquatic wildlife able to overcome the effects of sulfur dioxide.