Prior to the 19th century, the idea of ‘wilderness’ was associated with desolation and an incredible fear of the unknown. This can mostly be attributed to early Christianity; in the Bible all things ‘wild’ were of hellish nature and meant only unpredictable darkness. It wasn’t until the beginning of the American romantic movement that this perception began to shift in the wake of great minds such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Fenimore Cooper, Thomas Cole, and many other artists and writers of the 19th century. This movement led many to perceive ‘wilderness’ as a great mystery that’s to be celebrated, rather than something to avoid at all costs. Artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church of the Hudson River School
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Due to this realization, the Forest Preserve Act was passed in 1882 which legislated that logging would be banned on all state-owned land. In 1892, a bill establishing the Adirondack Forest Preserve as a state park passed the legislature, indicated by a blue line that encompassed the parts of the region where state acquisition of private in-holdings was to be concentrated. A new covenant to protect the Forest Preserve was included in the new Constitution in 1895. The Adirondack Forest Preserve would henceforth be protected as ‘forever wild’. Early in the 20th century, recreation in the Adirondack Park increased drastically. With more human traffic and tourism, came an increase in demand of conveniences. The State Conservation Department (now the DEC) built boat docks, tent platforms, lean-tos, fire towers, and telephone and electric lines in response to this. With the opening of the Northway (I-87) in the mid 1960s, private landowners began to be pressured into development as well. In 1968, Governor …show more content…
They feel that the APA is intruding on their quiet, harmless lives for the enjoyment of the visitors, as well as the economic prosperity of the attractions the Adirondack Park provides to the visitors. It seems that the perceptions of the residents as described in these two editorials coincide with the results from the study of wilderness perceptions of different stakeholders within the Adirondack Park. Is the APA taking into consideration the views of the long-time Adirondack natives? Or are their voices being drowned in the wake of the benefits of large scale tourism? According to these papers, it seems as though tourism takes precedence over the long-time locals in the sense that the APA’s policies, through the eyes of the locals, restrict their “rights” in return for the increase of either aesthetic value or recreational value. History may have shaped the communication of this issue by ingraining long term bias and an unwillingness to cooperate on both sides of the conflict. The Adirondack locals seem to want next to nothing to do with the APA and are unwilling to come to terms that could potentially alleviate or mitigate conflict. On the other hand, the APA is known to disregard the demands of the locals due to their less conservative views towards the preservation of the Park. The stereotypical ‘Adirondacker’ is stubborn in their ways,
Due to this realization, the Forest Preserve Act was passed in 1882 which legislated that logging would be banned on all state-owned land. In 1892, a bill establishing the Adirondack Forest Preserve as a state park passed the legislature, indicated by a blue line that encompassed the parts of the region where state acquisition of private in-holdings was to be concentrated. A new covenant to protect the Forest Preserve was included in the new Constitution in 1895. The Adirondack Forest Preserve would henceforth be protected as ‘forever wild’. Early in the 20th century, recreation in the Adirondack Park increased drastically. With more human traffic and tourism, came an increase in demand of conveniences. The State Conservation Department (now the DEC) built boat docks, tent platforms, lean-tos, fire towers, and telephone and electric lines in response to this. With the opening of the Northway (I-87) in the mid 1960s, private landowners began to be pressured into development as well. In 1968, Governor …show more content…
They feel that the APA is intruding on their quiet, harmless lives for the enjoyment of the visitors, as well as the economic prosperity of the attractions the Adirondack Park provides to the visitors. It seems that the perceptions of the residents as described in these two editorials coincide with the results from the study of wilderness perceptions of different stakeholders within the Adirondack Park. Is the APA taking into consideration the views of the long-time Adirondack natives? Or are their voices being drowned in the wake of the benefits of large scale tourism? According to these papers, it seems as though tourism takes precedence over the long-time locals in the sense that the APA’s policies, through the eyes of the locals, restrict their “rights” in return for the increase of either aesthetic value or recreational value. History may have shaped the communication of this issue by ingraining long term bias and an unwillingness to cooperate on both sides of the conflict. The Adirondack locals seem to want next to nothing to do with the APA and are unwilling to come to terms that could potentially alleviate or mitigate conflict. On the other hand, the APA is known to disregard the demands of the locals due to their less conservative views towards the preservation of the Park. The stereotypical ‘Adirondacker’ is stubborn in their ways,