By Vince Gasparini | November 11, 2024
Dippikill, the University at Albany Student Association’s 1,000-acre wilderness retreat located in the Adirondacks, has temporarily closed.
View from Dippikill Pond.
Photo Credit: Tommaso Dizon
The wilderness retreat, which is the largest student-owned retreat in the country, has been in operation since 1956 when its original 700 acres were purchased for $10,000; the property has since seen at least two additional land acquisitions.
Dippikill Inc., a subsidiary organization tasked with maintaining the retreat, said the closing came as they face “significant financial strain” due to overall rising costs and increased maintenance needs, according to a statement from the organization which was read out loud to the ASP by SA President Jalen Rose.
“Earlier this season we closed online reservations as we navigate the steps needed to ensure safe and fiscally responsible operations this winter,” Rose said as he delivered the statement.
UAlbany SA and Dippikill Inc. intend on having the retreat back open by this coming winter, and said they will be communicating with those interested in reserving a trip, according to the statement.
Rose also told the ASP that the Dippikill Board of Directors has met since the closure to “discuss how to fix those issues and how to move forward and reopen things as soon as possible.”
Rose declined to comment on what the root of the financial strain is, but said “there is a root; there is a root of all problems.”
According to the 2024-25 SA budget, the organization allocated $250,325 for the 2024-25 school year, a decrease of almost $53,000 from 2023-24.
Tax forms filed by Dippikill Inc. for the fiscal year ending in June 2023 indicate the organization reported a net loss of just under $60,000; they reported a net loss of $70,000 for the fiscal year prior.
Their net assets for the fiscal year ending in June 2023 were just under $1,448,000, which was a $60,000 decrease from the fiscal year prior.
“It is our intention that winter activity that everyone knows and loves at Dippikill is enjoyed by all this season,” the statement, read by Rose, said. “As our 2024-2025 season adaptive planning solidifies, we will be communicating to those interested in enjoying the season at Dippikill.”
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