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Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario and Adirondack Park in New York State are two of the oldest and largest parks in eastern North America. They harbour important populations of both rare and common native species, and offer the visitor a sense of wildness that is increasingly valued in a stressful world. It is tempting to think of such parks as island refuges that can be stepped into as Alice went through the looking glass. However, such a concept is not functional when applied to parks. Wild residents of parks need to move beyond park boundaries to maintain healthy populations and to respond to changing environments. No ecologically functional park is an island.

To maintain function, movement must occur.

The idea of linking these two parks ecologically across the relatively unaltered landscape of the Frontenac Axis has been ongoing since the early 1990's when several members of the Ottawa Valley chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-OV) first envisioned a connected and sustainable series of ecosystems anchored by the two great parks. A satellite image of the area clearly shows the significantly greater amount of tree cover in this area compared with elsewhere in Southern Ontario and Upper New York State. Roads are fewer here; the Thousand Islands provide stepping stones across the St. Lawrence; the opportunity is unique. The Algonquin to Adirondacks initiative grew out of this realization. Algonquin to Adirondacks is about looking at this landscape in a new way, as beetles, birds and bears do, without the imposition of borders, so that movement may be unimpeded from park to park. This can be achieved by the presence of natural habitat, not in an unbroken line like a corridor, but as scattered patches, fencelines, river margins, wetlands, woodlots, strung together like beads in an ecological necklace.

It was clear from the beginning that the Algonquin to Adirondacks initiative would be based on the idea of land stewardship and cooperation with those whose lives and livelihood are rooted in the area. Many people who live in this landscape have roots that go back many generations, and identify strongly with the land which is their heritage. Algonquin to Adirondacks is about retaining, restoring or enhancing natural ecosystems and connectivity, while preserving the values and lifestyles of the people who call this area home.

Making the Algonquin to Adirondacks connection involves transcending political boundaries, be they between government and non-government groups, agencies, municipalities, or countries. It is a long-term goal that will only be achieved from many small, incremental steps.The Algonquin to Adirondacks initiative needs partners to work toward the vision of a connected landscape that is compatible with human uses of the land.