Harold A. Jerry, Jr. papers

Harold A. Jerry, Jr., 1920-2001, was a politician and lawyer from New York State. Born in Plattsburgh, he was a member of the New York Senate from 1959-1962. Later under Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, Jerry served as Director of the Office for Regional Development and created the Office of Planning Coordination, the first state planning office. By 1968, Jerry became executive secretary for the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks, whose report ultimately led to the establishment of the Adirondack Park Agency and the approval of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan which included proposed Wilderness areas in the Forest Preserve. In 1989, Jerry served as a member of the Commission on the Adirondacks in the 21st Century by Governor Mario M. Cuomo. In his spare time, Jerry served as President of the Wilderness Society; Director and Chairman of the Adirondack Council; Vice President of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks; Director of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy and Land Trust; Director of the Environmental Planning Lobby and Chairman of Ecologically Sustainable Development, Inc. In short, Harold Jerry devoted his life and career to the Adirondack Park and the furtherance of its wilderness character.

The Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks was appointed by Governor Rockefeller in 1968 to investigate issues that would impact on Adirondack Park use, including private and public lands; wildlife; forest; minerals, water and air; transportation and the economy; recreation; and local government. The mandate of the commission was to make recommendations that would insure development was consistent with the long-range well-being of the park area as an integrated entity. The studies and recommendations of the commission led directly to the creation of the Adirondack Park Agency.

The Commission on the Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century was appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo. Peter A. A. Berle was chairman, and George D. Davis was executive director of the commission. Issues studied by the commission resulted in technical reports on topics including Adirondack Park economy and quality of life; private land regulation; subdivision and development trends, including zoning rules and regulations; forestry, the Adirondack Forest Preserve, and state land classification and management; land acquisition, management, and parking planning; and natural resources, including biological diversity, aesthetic resources, water quality, and soil productivity.