Local stewardship?

When I report on environmental regulations — in the Adirondack Park and beyond its blue-line border — I hear a pretty common refrain:

Locals do it better. North Country folks have stewarded the land for generations and they care deeply about its welfare.

From farmers to local government officials, they decry ‘big government’ interference and environmentalist meddling.

This message has a deep appeal. We like to think that the people most intimately connected to a gorgeous landscape like this one would care most deeply about its preservation.

But I hiked into the Hammond Pond Wild Forest this morning, in the Champlain Valley, and found garbage strewn in the campsites.

Beer cans, Snickers wrappers, the remains of broken tents. It was bleak. I found t-shirts hanging from trees and battered old boats tossed along the shore.

I’m convinced this isn’t the kind of junk that tourists bring in. This is us. A reflection of our attitudes and, yes, our carelessness.

I think similar doubts are growing about the farming community in the Champlain Valley, where pollution from dairy herds continues to spark algae blooms at the north end of the lake.

(VPR reported recently that algae blooms are so severe and frequent that they’re bringing down home values on waterfront property…)

I love the idea of a hyper-local environmental movement, one that respects local culture and accomodates the needs of our regional economy.

But the proof is in the campsite at the end of your weekend getaway. Does it look tidier than it did when you arrived?

Or are there TP blossoms hanging from the witch hobble?

How about the creek that runs through your farm and into the lake? Does it smell like a creek or like a farm sewer?

I think the bottom line is pretty simple: If we want to avoid more “outside interference” we have to show that we can do better.

Tags: adirondacks