"The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed."However, since 1894, there have been numerous developments and actions in the park that appear to go against what it means to be Forever Wild. As technology advances, the Park compromises what it means to be forever wild.
With the advancement of the automobile, the "automobile journey itself became an important part of the vacation experience" (Terrie 134). The car allowed people to enjoy the experience of getting to their final destination, observing the mountains, forests, and lakes along the way. Tourists began using staying close to the car, "stopping for a picnic or eating at a roadside restaurant and spending the night either at a tent they carried or in a motel" (Terrie 140). Eventually, this led to the creation of the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, which was completed in 1935. This eight mile highway traveled up the mountain, reaching a 300 foot vertical summit.
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| View from Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway ("Whiteface Mountain"). |
Today, we are seeing controversy over snowmobiles, jet skis, ATVS, and other motorized vehicle usage in the park. Governor Cuomo recently bought a tract of land in the Adirondacks, and the people of New York are waiting to see whether this land will be dedicated as a wilderness area, which means that no motorized vehicles will be allowed. However, Cuomo often looks at the economic benefits of the Adirondacks. He loves the park, but wants to see it prosper economically. It will be interesting to see whether he follows a similar path taken when the automobile was first introduced, and choose to compromise what Forever Wild means.
Works Cited
Terrie, Philip G. Contested Terrain: A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks. Blue Mountain Lake, NY: Adirondack Museum, 2008. Print."Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway." Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
I find it so interesting that with the advancement of the automobile came a new concept in tourism-- the auto-tourist as Terrie put it. It's hard to think of a time when automobiles weren't a part of tourism. We use cars to drive, rather than hike, to scenic views and to see as many parts of the park as we can in a short time. Although we want to believe we are empathetic and compassionate to the Forever Wild clause, we are inherently auto-tourists who take advantage of advancing technology.
ReplyDeleteAll of the points you made are definitely true - technology is certainly the opposite of "wild" and the advances of technology in the park have limited the wilds and wilderness of the park in many ways. In the opposing argument, technology has allowed so many more people experience or hear about the park and has definitely increased the economic value and profit of the park in such a way that may have convinced law-makers to keep the park open.
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