In September 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) notified the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in Essex County that it violated the New York Constitution by developing on "forever wild" state land . With ski season just around the corner, the violation posed significant problems for the complex, threatening to close trails and facilities.

To solve this problem, New York added Proposal 1 to its most recent ballot. The measure amended the New York Constitution, redesignating up to 323 acres of "forever wild" land for the Olympic Sports Complex, in exchange for 2,500 additional acres elsewhere in the Adirondacks.

The measure has garnered quite a bit of attention and has become one of the most closely contested measures on New York's ballo

See Full Page