Almy Coggeshall Collection, 1969-2009
Collection is open to research.
Description
Almy D. Coggeshall (1917-2009) graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in chemistry and began his career with General Electric in Schenectady in the Materials and Processes Laboratory. He would work for GE for 35 years and earn 20 patents for his work. He was a scoutmaster and active member and leader with the Adirondack Mountain Club. As a consultant for New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation he helped draft proposals for several wilderness areas. With his wife Anne, he authored guide books suggesting skiing locations and wrote articles promoting cross-country skiing for magazines. In 1974 he was appointed to the Schenectady County Citizens Environmental Advisory Council where he designed a county-wide solution to waste disposal that included recycling. He was also active in the development of Schenectady County’s Plotterkill Preserve, Indian Kill Preserve, and County Forest.
The collection consists of documentary evidence of citizen efforts in management and protection of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Included are efforts to cease the use of garbage pits at interior camp sites and adopt instead the “carry-out “system of camp and picnic waste disposal. Many folders contain hand-written notes on the contents of that folder an how they relate build the narratives of recreation and conservation. The papers also demonstrate his efforts to defend Article XIV and include discussions of his theories on effective citizen activism.