PRESS RELEASE

ADK PRAISES PURCHASE

OF WILDERNESS CANOE ROUTES

For Release: For information contact:

January 4, 2001 Neil Woodworth (518) 449-3870

The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) today hailed the agreement between International Paper Corporation and the Nature Conservancy for the purchase of 26,500 acres adjoining the Five Ponds Wilderness and Whitney Wilderness Area as a bonanza for canoeists, campers and the environment. The agreement covers four large lakes, 12 smaller ponds, wetlands, conifer forests and over 80 miles of connecting rivers and streams. The agreement will open new wilderness canoe routes, enabling paddlers to enjoy multi-day trips through the rich network of interconnected rivers and lakes.

"This purchase, together with the recent Whitney Park and Champion International purchases, makes the Adirondacks the premier canoe and kayaking area in the East. The deal opens many miles of new, unspoiled, unexplored routes for canoeists to discover and enjoy. The new routes will offer wilderness paddlers many new camping opportunities", said Neil Woodworth, Deputy Executive Director of ADK.

Neil Woodworth, representing ADK was part of a planning initiative organized by International Paper in 1996 and 1997 to study and develop options for these lands. This initiative, called the Adirondack Lakes Citizen Advisory Task Team, studied the lakes and lands that are the subject of this agreement for several years. ADK, participating in that innovative planning process, recommended that these canoe routes and camping areas be forever protected and acquired for public use.

The Adirondack Mountain Club has over 35,000 members and represents New York's hikers, canoeists, campers and cross-country skiers.