A consortium of groups is trying to persuade the Adirondack Park Agency not to rush to decide how to classify more than 60,000 acres in Hamilton and Essex counties that recently came into the state's possession. Effectively, what these groups are saying is "delay, delay, delay" so they can have it their way. They want the newly acquired state land to "be maintained as wilderness, with limited access to powerboats, motor vehicles, ATVs and even bicycles."
These groups include "Protect the Adirondacks," which has sued the APA and the Department of Environmental Conservation, questioning their authority to make decisions with regard to the Adirondack Park. They're fighting a creative project in Tupper Lake at the Adirondack Club Resort that could mean well over 550 new jobs, but which is hung up in litigation.
What these matters are really about is limiting development.
As both a landowner and a businessowner in the park, I have witnessed the effect of such thinking. Unemployment continues to be unacceptable (12.5 percent in Hamilton County and expected to get worse). The year-round population is aging as young families move to pursue careers, as businesses find it difficult to grow.
As Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put it, yes, the park's isolation makes it special, "But it's also true that the economy has to be sustained and you need tourism to sustain it. That's the tension of the park. Finding a balance is very important."
It is this balance that we must achieve.
There is a great quote in the archway at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It is from when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the park: "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people."
That quote should be our beacon and our reminder of what the Adirondack Park is all about.
Bob Samson lives in Lake Pleasant.