Snowmobile trails don’t jibe with “forever wild”

I just finished reading “Defending the Wilderness” by Paul Schaefer and would recommend it. The book is a historical narrative of the many battles that have been fought to protect the natural features and resources of the Adirondacks and the Catskills.

Legendary conservationists like Verplanck Colvin and Bob Marshall had the vision of what the park should be. Through the years, many like them have joined forces with enlightened politicians and regular citizens to grow the park and protect it from the encroachment of commercial interests and the trappings of civilization. The most formidable protection for the park is Article XIV of the New York state constitution and its “forever wild” clause.

Today, a new challenge to this defense of the natural setting of the park has been mounted by the state Department of Environmental

Conservation, the very department charged with conserving the environment of the state. DEC is appealing a ruling of the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court that said the state’s new plan to cut down about 25,000 trees to create about 27 miles of snowmobile roads was a clear violation of the constitution.

Now the question is in the hands of the state Court of Appeals. Will they follow a strict interpretation of Article XIV or will they bend the rules to fit political demands?

As we await a ruling in March, keep in mind: This park belongs to all of us and those who come after us. The park is a treasure; we each need to do what we can to protect it. William Koebbeman Rexford