The phrase re-wilding is fundamentally a lie. The process by
which much of the forested landscapes of the Adirondacks have regenerated is
not the pristine, innocent, primal restoration often advertised. The process is
fueled, controlled and limited by the human presence past, present and future.
The relics of human structure do not flee with their creators: buildings still
remain and mines still expose mountains.
Such obstacles are not necessarily impassable for the existing wildlife,
and ruined mines or stone structures lose their human scent after a certain
amount of time, but the physical presence remains indefinitely beyond the
re-wilding process. The present re-wilding process is mandated by the state,
entirely run by humans. We choose which species to bring back and where to
release them. We select what we deem as wild and natural, and there’s nothing
more unnatural than that. Many of our choices are technically speaking not
native, and by our own definitions invasives which compete with the remaining native
populations. We exclude the wolf from what was its former stomping ground,
leaving it’s historic position atop the food chain unfilled and it’s absence
seen throughout the ecosystem. Top-tier predators maintain the populations of
smaller but equally profound creatures and without them, animals with
incredible impact (especially beavers) can change their environment unhindered.
And the reason we leave out the wolf is for its competition in hunting:
“they’ll take my deer.” Here, human
selfishness and fear for the future intermix to ensure re-wilding remains
domestic and tame.
A domesticated wilderness, however, is not necessarily
entirely negative. In an industrial society, just creating an area of
wilderness, despite its human construction, is infinitely greater and more
beneficial than no wilderness at all. Knowing that the state of New York has
taken six million acres of land under its wing and vowed to protect it shows a
general respect for the necessity of wilderness and all that it can provide.
And if an unnatural re-wilding process is what we need to experience some semblance
of wilderness, than I’ll overlook the wolves, the mines, the bureaucracy, and
spend a few days wandering through the woods.
It's true that humans have a large hand in the management of the wilderness of the Park. Certain species are declared invasive and are targeted for eradication. A few species were reintroduced. Others haven't been. Fish are without question the most managed animal in the Park (and on the continent). But many species have come back on their own, including moose and Eastern coyotes. And all the forests have come back on their own. So yes, it isn't a pristine wilderness, but very few places are, or can be.
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