Over the last week, I’ve had emails from mainstream pro-development groups claiming that environmentalists are trying to “demonize” them and derail economic progress in the Adirondack Park.<\/p>\n
I’ve also received press releases from some of the region’s biggest green groups, claiming that they’ve been “harassed” and “bullied” by pro-development groups.<\/p>\n
After years of relatively healthy detente, and even a certain amount of collegiality between the various interests shaping the Park’s future, the gloves appear to be coming off.<\/p>\n
There are a couple of big reasons why this is so.\u00a0 Foremost is the fact that the stakes are higher than ever.<\/p>\n
Environmentalists want to close the deal on the Finch and Follensby conservation projects, expanding the forest preserve by more than 70,000 acres.<\/p>\n
There are strong indications that they want much of that acreage protected under “wilderness” status, the most restrictive classification.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the fence, economic development interests are pushing hard for the Adirondack Park Agency to approve the Big Tupper resort, the largest single development of its kind ever proposed inside the blue line.<\/p>\n
Backers of the project see it as an economic engine for an increasingly depressed corner of the North Country.\u00a0 They also see this as a test of the APA, with the outcome indicating whether or not the Park is open for business.<\/p>\n
All of this is set against a backdrop of declining small towns and double-digit unemployment, factors which inevitably raise the blood pressure level of everyone concerned.<\/p>\n
Exacerbating the new tension is the fact that Albany is providing fewer and fewer dollars for the Park, which means that everyone feels more vulnerable.<\/p>\n
But even as partisans on both sides hurl barbs back and forth, it’s important to nod once at the fact that much of the conversation inside the Blue Line remains neighborly, nuanced and civil.<\/p>\n
Yes, many local government officials want more development, but they are also far greener and far more sensitive to the unique dynamics of the Park than when I first arrived here thirteen years ago.<\/p>\n
Yes, a lot of environmentalists hate the Adirondack Club and Resort project, but there is also a growing effort in many groups to participate in economic and community development efforts.<\/p>\n
A decade ago when I asked many greenies about the dangers of closing grocery stores and shuttered schools, I got blank stares.\u00a0 But now community sustainability is a major topic for environmental groups.<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, there are new levels of cooperation between snowmobile clubs and environmental leaders.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest logging operations in the Park is happening on land owned by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.<\/p>\n
And a growing number of local government leaders and pro-business groups are open in their acceptance of the APA as a legitimate referee when it comes to granting permits for controversial projects.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, all sides are participating in pushing key demands in Albany, including adequate funding for stewardship and recreation projects, and continued payment of property taxes on forest preserve lands.<\/p>\n
That’s a lot of cooperation for a Park that usually gets attention for its internal battles.<\/p>\n
The truth, of course, is that some activists on both sides don’t like this kind of moderation.\u00a0 They view developers as scoundrels.\u00a0 They see environmentalists as green whackos.\u00a0 They think APA officials are thugs.<\/p>\n
And yes, there is a danger that increasing polarization could disrupt important, ongoing partnerships.\u00a0 That question will be tested over the next year, as we get some answers on Big Tupper and the Finch deal.<\/p>\n
But when you push past the headlines and the hot-blooded press releases, I think we’ll find that a lot of these ties and relationships are tougher, more enduring, and more productive than people realize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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