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“Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness” with David Gessner | North Creek, NY | September 1, 2026

  • Tannery Pond Center 228 Main Street North Creek, New York, 12853 United States (map)

David Gessner Explores Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness at Tannery Pond Center

Badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Layers of dried mud and rock make up the Badlands Formations in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The Adirondacks helped shape Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation philosophy—and, in September 1901, became the dramatic backdrop to his sudden ascent to the presidency. On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:30 pm, author and distinguished professor David Gessner comes to Tannery Pond Center in North Creek, NY, for a special presentation exploring Roosevelt, wilderness and the American conservation movement as part of the region’s commemorations of TR’s Ride to the Presidency.

Gessner is the author of Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness, a book that retraces Roosevelt’s relationship with wild places while asking what his conservation legacy means more than a century later. His Tannery Pond presentation offers an especially fitting way to begin September in the Adirondacks, just weeks before the 125th anniversary of Roosevelt’s famous midnight journey out of the mountains.

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Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mount Marcy

Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mt. Marcy, where TR learned President McKinley’s condition was grave.

Theodore Roosevelt, conservation and the Adirondacks.

Roosevelt’s conservation record is enormous, though the National Park Service itself wasn't established until 1916, during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. As president, Roosevelt dramatically expanded federal protection of American landscapes by establishing national monuments, creating or enlarging national forests, and protecting wildlife refuges.

That history resonates particularly in the Adirondacks. Roosevelt was hiking Mount Marcy in September 1901 when word arrived that President William McKinley’s condition had worsened following an assassin’s bullet. Roosevelt descended from the mountains and began his now-famous nighttime stagecoach ride toward North Creek, where he learned that McKinley had died and that he would become the 26th president.

The landscape surrounding Tannery Pond Center is therefore more than an atmospheric setting for Gessner’s talk. It is part of the Roosevelt story.

David Gessner brings Roosevelt’s wilderness story to North Creek.

Gessner has written 14 books blending nature, memoir, humor and environmental thought. His works include The Book of Flaco, All the Wild That Remains, Return of the Osprey, Sick of Nature and The Tarball Chronicles, his account of the Gulf oil spill.

A distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Gessner also founded Ecotone, the university’s literary magazine. His honors include a Pushcart Prize, the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay and awards recognizing both environmental writing and creative nonfiction.

In Leave It As It Is, Gessner follows Roosevelt into the American West and examines a conservation legacy that is both consequential and complicated. That combination—history, landscape and contemporary environmental thinking—should make the North Creek presentation appealing well beyond an audience of Roosevelt devotees.

ADK Taste insight.

The title Leave It As It Is comes from Roosevelt’s words at the Grand Canyon, where he urged Americans to preserve the landscape rather than try to improve upon it. In the Adirondacks, where debates over wilderness, recreation and conservation remain very much alive, the sentiment has unusual staying power.

Who should attend.

Readers interested in Theodore Roosevelt, American history, conservation, national parks and nature writing will find plenty here. The program should also appeal to visitors exploring North Creek, Newcomb and the central Adirondacks who want to understand the history embedded in the landscape around them.

For anyone following the 125th-anniversary commemorations of Roosevelt’s 1901 ride, Gessner’s presentation adds a broader question to the familiar tale of the midnight dash: What did Roosevelt do with the presidency once the Adirondacks delivered him to it?

ADK Taste recommendation.

Arrive with enough time to settle in before the 7:30 pm program and make this part of a broader exploration of Roosevelt country. North Creek and nearby Newcomb contain key pieces of the 1901 story, making Gessner’s talk particularly rewarding for visitors following the route and events surrounding TR’s Ride to the Presidency.

Event details.

What: David Gessner, author of Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness
When: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Where: Tannery Pond Center, North Creek, NY
Program: Presentation on Theodore Roosevelt, conservation and America’s protected wild landscapes
Part of: Commemorations surrounding TR’s Ride to the Presidency

Visitors should check the Tannery Pond Center official website before attending for the latest program information and any updates.

Frequently asked questions.

When is David Gessner speaking at Tannery Pond Center?
David Gessner will speak Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:30 pm.

Where is the David Gessner presentation in the Adirondacks?
The presentation takes place at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek, NY, in the central Adirondacks.

What book will David Gessner discuss?
The program centers on themes from Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness and Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.

What is TR’s Ride to the Presidency?
It refers to Theodore Roosevelt’s dramatic September 1901 journey from the Adirondacks toward North Creek after President William McKinley’s condition deteriorated. Roosevelt learned at North Creek that McKinley had died and that he would become president.

Who will enjoy this Adirondack event?
The presentation is a strong fit for readers, history enthusiasts, conservation-minded travelers, Theodore Roosevelt followers and anyone interested in the relationship between the Adirondacks and American history.

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