[MA-RPC] FW: [at-l] Motocross Track Plans Fuel Debate

[ALLEN BRITTON]

I completely disagree with Hal's assessment of our options. How about 
establishing collations with organizations like the Trails lands Trust, The 
Nature Conservancy, and other like minded groups. If we pool our resources 
get some influential politicians in our corner we have a chance to save the 
AT. Why should we have to except what we don't want. If money talks in our 
culture then lets pool the money!!!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hal Wright" <halwright at comcast.net>
To: "MARPC list" <ma-rpc at commerce-02.cilia.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: [MA-RPC] FW: [at-l] Motocross Track Plans Fuel Debate


>
> On Dec 10, 2005, at 12:47 PM, James Hooper wrote:
>> The laws in Pa are loaded in the developers favor.  Being a veteran  of 
>> the development plans in my township I am convinced that the  only way we 
>> can protect the trail corridor in Pa is to obtain the  development rights 
>> of the land surrounding the trail corridor.   We  need to do this before 
>> a developer tries to develop the land.  The  state courts have been 
>> ruling in favor of the developers.
>
> ...and therein lies the central tension of ATC leadership in the 21st 
> century. Peopled with hikers whose core value is to live naturally, 
> simply and cheaply, the ATC must nonetheless find and pick deep  pockets 
> to preserve the Trail in its present form. Or, it must accept  that change 
> is inevitable, rezone parts of the Trail as suburban, and  manage those 
> parts in a way that is consistent with their new,  developed setting. Or, 
> it must consider wholesale relocations that  would put the trail in less 
> developed areas. None of these options is  palatable, but the clear 
> message of the recent reorganization is that  leadership finds option 1 
> less nauseating that options 2 and 3.
>
> My prediction is that we will end up preserving some land, doing some 
> minor relocation, but mostly resigning ourselves to continued  development 
> around major sections of the Trail. Here is where  partnership with law 
> enforcement, first responders, and new residents  will prove invaluable. 
> In PA, and elsewhere, the trail is already  very close to civilization, 
> stuck in a no man's land where local  enforcement feels not-so-responsible 
> in terms of being proactive, yet  easily accessed by abusers of the 
> environment and homeless non- hikers. In developed areas, I believe we 
> will find ourselves managing  the Trail more like a suburban rail-trail in 
> the years ahead, to keep  it safe and clean. We will be uncomfortable 
> about the compromises to  wilderness ethics that will be required, but we 
> will still have a  nice, woodsy place in which to walk and camp, and key 
> historical and  cultural aspects of the Trail will remain intact.
>
> Just my 2 cents.
>
>>
>> On Dec 10, 2005, at 10:37 AM, Walt Daniels wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l- 
>>> bounces at backcountry.net] On
>>> Behalf Of Steve Landis
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 10:28 AM
>>> To: at-l at backcountry.net
>>> Subject: [at-l] Motocross Track Plans Fuel Debate
>>>
>>> .http://tinyurl.com/bfnp3*
>>>
>>> *"The Appalachian Trail passes along Walker Mountain above the  track. 
>>> On the
>>> other side of the mountain beginning at the summit, and therefore  in 
>>> sight
>>> of the track, Crawfish Valley is proposed for protection as a  National
>>> Scenic Area. About 1,700 feet downhill from the track flows the  North 
>>> Fork
>>> of the Holston River, not far at that point below its headwaters.  Two 
>>> miles
>>> upstream lies land awaiting federal designation as the largest 
>>> contiguous
>>> wilderness area east of the Mississippi River."
>>>
>>> Steve
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> AT-L Mailing List.
>>>
>>> Go here to unsubscribe or change your options:
>>>
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>>>
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>>
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