A Common Cause for Adirondack Lovers

With climate change jeopardizing the ecological and economic stability of the Adirondack Park, some individuals have elected to look past conflicting perceptions of the Adirondacks to raise awareness about the debilitating impacts of climate change.  Specifically, I was surprised to read Bill McKibben empathizing with snowmobilers in his article Future Shock: The Coming Adirondack Climate.  While in previous texts, McKibben has exhibited a strong resentment towards ATVs, snowmobiles, and jet skis, he appears to have found some common ground with snowmobilers in his love for the Adirondacks; such actions may strengthen support for protecting the Adirondack Park in the future.

            In his book Wandering Home, Bill McKibben grumbles about snowmobiles ATVs, and jet skis and their effects on the Adirondacks.  Snowmobiles, he explains, barrel through tunnels beneath the Adirondack Northway, scaring away the animals the tunnels are intended to let pass and ATVs turn well maintained hiking trails into a muddy mess.  They also pollute the air with carbon dioxide emissions and incessant engine blasts, disturbing the quiet piece that people seek in the park.  From this perspective, such sports acts against everything the Adirondack Park is meant to protect.

            Yet, snowmobilers and ATV riders cherish the Adirondack Park, just as Bill Mckibben does.  The park is a scenic arena for their beloved sport.  Rising popularity of such sports has also benefitted the region, sparking economic activity in local communities during the winter.  Old Forge for instance, advertises itself as the “Snowmobile Capital of the East” and relies on snow and snowmobilers as a source of income.  Evidently, motor sports are an important facet of the Adirondacks, and it is this fact that has led Bill McKibben to sympathize with the sport.

            McKibben acknowledges that Adirondack communities reliant on winter tourism will suffer as a result of snowless winters brought by climate change.  He states, “there’s nothing [Old Forge] could do to save the ski-doo season if winter began to vanish”(McKibben, 56) and notes that many Old Forge servicemen were laid off during a year with little snowfall.  By including snowmobiling in this discussion, McKibben recognizes the sport as a critical characteristic of the park, thus catering to other interest groups and strengthening his argument about climate change.

            Finding a common identity among those promoting preservation of the Adirondacks and climate change awareness is vital to the success of such movements.  With many different groups invested in the Adirondacks, conflicting opinions arise about the park’s use and preservation.  All of these groups however, love and rely on the park.  Although Bill McKibben still takes jabs at motor sports, explaining how before snowmobiling, you could take a nap on route 28, he does admit that snowmobiling is important to the park and its inhabitants.  This realization strengthens efforts to protect the Adirondacks as it brings together different Adirondack users and inhabitants.

Sources:

McKibben, Bill,“Future Shock: The Coming Adirondack Climate,” Adirondack Life. 2002. 51-57.

McKibben Bill, “Wandering Home.”