NextGen Discussion: Equity in Land Conservation and Recreation

Existing at the intersection of environmental and transformational justice, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) works to make the Adirondacks a welcoming and inclusive place for both residents and visitors while ensuring a vital and sustainable Adirondack Park for future generations.

Pete Nelson is a proud Adirondack resident and co-founder of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative.  Having formerly worked with law enforcement agencies, Pete is excited to lead ADI’s community policing program.  Pete has been involved in diversity issues as an activist and teacher since the 1970’s, including social justice programs in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, tenants’ rights and inner-city housing in Chicago and equity in education in Madison, Wisconsin.  Pete is a mathematics teacher and member of the Diversity Task Force at North Country Community College.  Pete has taught for the college’s Second Chance program in Federal and State correctional institutions.  Pete is an avid writer, lecturer and Adirondack history buff whose articles appear regularly in regional publications.  He also co-founded Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, which is dedicated to protecting and preserving the Adirondack Park.

Tiffany Rea-Fisher is the Director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI). Tiffany has extensive leadership experience in the arts, activism and community organizing. She is Executive Artistic Director of EMERGE125, a professional dance company that offers performance and education programs in New York City and Lake Placid. She is a Creatives Rebuild New York awardee with John Brown Lives! and has earned recognition for her role as a principal dancer, community organizer and direct-action activist. She is the first woman of color to serve as Director of the Lake Placid School of Dance, where she has helped increase class participation and faculty diversity since 2017. Tiffany resides in both Harlem and Saranac Lake.

John Brown Lives! (JBL!) is a freedom education project founded in 1999 to promote social justice and human rights through the exploration of issues, social movements and events, many of them rooted in Adirondack history. 

Martha Swan is the founder and Executive Director of John Brown Lives!, a freedom education and human rights organization and the official New York State Friends Group of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. She also teaches Spanish full-time at a small public school in the Adirondacks. Martha lives in the beautiful Champlain Valley of New York State.

The Adirondack Council is focused on using knowledge of the political process, respect for diverse views, and fact-based advocacy to address the Adirondack Park’s 21st Century challenges and opportunities. They work with many partners, promoting diversity and finding common ground on complex issues when possible. 

Rocci Aguirre is the Deputy Executive Director of the Adirondack Council. He brings over 28 years of conservation experience to his current position, including working as a National Park Service ranger across the country, field staff for Trout Unlimited, and as the former Land Protection Director at the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Rocci has a M.S. in Natural Resources and Conservation, serves on the boards of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development and the NY Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and is a Regional Commissioner for the NY OPRHP Saratoga-Capital District.