Lila Elizabeth Kleppner (Provided photo)

I will always remember Dec. 6, 2024, the day I buried my grandmother. As I helped shovel the dirt into the ground, I thought about how her passion for hiking shaped my life.

After a decade of dragging my dad and uncle, her sons, up all the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, my grandmother became a 46er in the 1990s. She had to start the Santanoni Range twice after rain and thunder thwarted her first attempt. My dad never understood hiking for the sake of “checking the box,” as he says, but hearing my grandmother’s stories of how almost a disaster turned into the funniest memories, I was hooked. When I hiked the Santanonis and it started down pouring, and we had no view at the summit, I laughed and could not wait to tell my grandmother about it.

The Adirondacks that I grew up loving, full of diverse, never-ending green, the same one my father and grandmother loved, will not exist in the same way for my grandchildren.

Climate change is the biggest problem facing my generation, and it is not a problem we caused. Despite the numerous international, national, municipal and institutional climate promises that have been made, we are not on track to hit these goals. For example, my university, Cornell University, promised to be carbon neutral by 2035, but is not likely to meet this target based on its limited actions.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a pledge to conserve 30% of New York’s lands and waters by 2030, aligning the state with the worldwide initiative. New York only needs 2.8 million more acres, a little larger than the size of Yellowstone National Park. However, over the past five years, only 43,000 acres have been protected, about 3 Manhattans. With five years to go before the 30×30 deadline, we need to rapidly increase the amount of protected land.

Preserving these areas will protect biodiversity and natural habitat. Primary producers, like trees and grass, make the oxygen we breathe, while bees are essential pollinators for the crops we eat.

“As climate change continues to increase the frequency of natural disasters, natural climate resiliency will be key to helping mitigate the devastating impacts of weather events,” Assemblymember Patricia Fahy said when the 30×30 act was passed.

Current protected areas in the state include the Adirondacks, which the state constitution designates as “forever wild.” These lands safeguard critical ecosystems while offering people the chance to experience the outdoors. These areas have brought me, my grandmother and countless others joy, memories and comfort.

I can still feel the air on my face and the sudden relief as I reached the summit of Skylight, my 46th Adirondack High Peak. The 360-degree view, the blue skies and my family cheering beside me. Nothing but beauty. That August day, I thought of my grandmother.

A deal to acquire state ownership of Whitney Park, a 36,600-acre wilderness in the Adirondack Park, fell through in mid-November. The tract contains extensive wetlands, 30 ponds, and serves as a crucial wildlife corridor for moose and other species. But the current owner of the land is concerned about the state acquiring ownership due to previous management failures, like the elimination of trout from Little Tupper Lake.

This one failure does not define the state’s conservation record. New York state has shown it can help ecosystems and species thrive. In the early 1990s, river otters had disappeared from half of New York’s watershed. Between 1995 and 2000, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reintroduced otters to western New York, helping these populations to rebound and remain stable.

Despite this, the state is currently unwilling to consider a lease option for Whitney Park and wants sole ownership. This conflict seems impassable.

Our voice matters. Tell Governor Kathy Hochul, who signed 30×30 into law, that she needs to follow through on her promises and continue negotiations for Whitney Park. Contact her by phone at (518) 474-8390 or mail: The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224.

Together we can increase biodiversity, protect human interests and appreciate the beauty we keep destroying.

Grieving someone is hard; no one gets excited for funerals or the sudden waves of sadness that pass over you. While I grieve for my grandmother, I hope we can achieve 30×30 so we don’t all have to grieve for the land and the water.

My grandmother was a beautiful writer, and while I miss her all the time, every hike I take, she is with me.

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Lila Elizabeth Kleppner is a resident of Ithaca.