David Gibson’s new biography, “A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions,” brings attention to an important advocate for the Adirondack Park.

Brought up in Schenectady, Schaefer’s focus began in the Warren County community of Bakers Mills, where his family bought a small camp for vacation respite. He began hiking, met like-minded people, and started broadening his knowledge of the region.

Meeting the right person at the right time can impact a person. In this case, it was the legendary Bob Marshall, whose attorney father had helped draft the Forever Wild clause in 1894, and who became Forty-Sixer number one. He met Marshall atop Mount Marcy in 1932.

In time, Schaefer’s acquaintance list grew to include governors and both regional and national environmental activists. One was John Apperson, a General Electric engineer whose advocacy began with time spent on Lake George. Apperson became a key Schaefer mentor, impressing upon him the need to know an area well before becoming involved in issues. Learning from Apperson, he also became a coalition builder.

Beginning a career in construction as an apprentice carpenter, Schaefer worked on many historic houses in Schenectady. By his own count he ultimately built or restored over 500 homes and camps in New York’s Capital District and in the Adirondacks.

Along the way, he amassed an impressive book collection, created his own large-scale Adirondack relief map to help him learn about dams and their effects, and later produced videos and published magazines to further his efforts.

Among his first successes in advocacy was opposition to a series of dams on the South Branch of the Moose River. This cemented the impact of grassroots organization in his mind. Later, he worked to prevent construction of Gooley Dam on the Upper Hudson River, a project that would have devastated the village of Newcomb and eliminated thousands of acres of marvelous scenery and recreational land.

Via these efforts, Schaefer began working with Howard Zahniser, eventual author of the National Wilderness Preservation Act. Though much of Zahniser’s work came in the American West, their relationship deepened to the point that Schaefer arranged for Zahniser to purchase a retreat near his own in Bakers Mills.

Schaefer became active in decisions about siting the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87), then helped establish the Adirondack Park Agency as a steward of development on private lands within the six-million-acre Adirondack Park. He played roles in arranging the region’s first conservation easement (on Elk Lake), preserving Follensby Pond, and facilitating eventual state acquisition of former Finch Pruyn woodlands. Later he took on the challenges of access to the wilderness by motorized vehicles.

Late in life (he died in 1996 at age 88), he remained active on commemoration of the Adirondack Park centennial, and reorganization of the advocacy group Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, strong supporters of the integrity of “forever wild” concepts.

Schaefer didn’t approach his work from the perspective of a scientist or an elitist. Indeed he deeply respected and engaged intensively with North Country natives. Neighbors near Bakers Mills had taught him the rudiments of hunting and fishing, pastimes he enjoyed throughout life. Equally comfortable with these people and the political leaders with whom he later engaged, he melded the ethics of 19th century guides and environmentalists steeped in the science of the 20th century.

One can have misgivings about a biography from the perspective of an acolyte. The author was clearly a protégé of Schaefer. Lack of distance from a subject can hamper objectivity. However, Gibson’s mix of anecdote and advocacy history gives an impassioned glimpse into the man Audubon Magazine called “one of the most tenacious defenders of wilderness in New York’s six-million-acre Adirondack Park.”

Schaeffer comes across as combining the pragmatism of an advocate with the romance of someone clearly in love with the Adirondacks. That pragmatism led to conflicts with some of his mentors, including John Apperson, who labelled him as sometimes too ready to compromise on important issues.

It’s easy to forget the Adirondacks we enjoy today reflect strenuous efforts by individuals in the past. Paul Schaefer ranks as one of those insufficiently heralded people. Gibson’s book helps keep such memory alive.