Adirondack Peeks Winter 2024

FROM THE VAULT Guess who?*

The Recreationist in the Postwar

N ew York State’s accent on outdoor recreation has increased through the years at a tremendous speed. There was a time when walking or hiking in the woods meant business. As much as Verplanck Col vin loved the Adirondack Region which he so carefully mapped, he never did it "just for fun." It was a job to him and while he enjoyed his job and spent a great deal of time planning and working for the Adirondack Park so that wa tershed and public health would be protected, and recre ation could be enjoyed therein, it was purely a matter of conservation to him. "Adirondack" Murray was the first Publicity Bureau for recreation in the Adirondacks. With the printing of his book, in one fell swoop Murray’s enthusiasm for that par ticular out-of-doors opened a new region. It was a rugged country. It was wild. It was beautiful. It was exhilarating. You can still find some of these elements there today. I am ignoring, of course, the many to whom "recre ation" means a movie, a night club, or an athletic contest. The recreationist in whom we here today are interested, is the person whose numbers are increasing by leaps and bounds, who seeks to leave the complexities of every day living behind him by a return to the peace and re-creation which the woods, meadows, streams and mountains offer. Local chambers of commerce and State agencies combine to give such seekers reliable information, And the business of fulfilling their needs is a means of livelihood to many. It has been estimated that the annual cash turnover resulting from various types of outdoor recreation exceeds $100,000,000. A lot of money in any man’s language! And the recreationist is constantly demanding more and more. He wants a place to go and he wants to get there with the least possible effort. He requires food and shelter. He requires clothing to wear while there. He requires equip ment—everything from fly dope to ski wax! Furthermore, if he doesn't get what he wants he’ll go where he can find it. Can we preserve what is left of the rugged, wild, exhilarating country of "Adirondack" Murray's day and at the same time give that degree of forest life which he can enjoy to each of the many who are looking to the Forest Preserve for a playground? We must, for the many are coming, and should come; it is the people's Preserve. But

if they are to find to the full what they seek, the wilderness character of the Adirondacks and Catskills must not further disappear. The wild forest, easily accessible, is the unique feature which the Preserve has for its owners and users. Much they can find elsewhere in the State—not this. With this in mind, let us look at the facts. We have the Adirondack Park, 8,555 square miles, the United State's largest park. And, mainly within its limits, we have the For est Preserve of nearly 2½ million acres. And we have Ar ticle XIV, Section 1, of the State Constitution, which, if not tampered with, assures us that commercialization and ex ploitation will not take place. Many of us like our recreation in the more seclud ed spots of the State. Off-the-beaten-path places appeal to us and we can find vast comfort luxuriously stretched out on a bed of balsam-tips which a ranger has provided in one of the Conservation Department's 163 "Adirondack" lean tos. (138 in Adirondacks and 25 in Catskills.) The aroma of wood smoke from the stone fireplace before our camp is good and as we broil our steak—God-speed the day! —we enjoy the restful calm of the woods. We are said to be a selfish lot. We want, they say, the Forest Preserve, this nearly 2½ million acres of the people is land, "locked-up" to use for ourselves. Just how "locked up" is it? The forest Preserve is anything but a wilderness— except in name. It is comprised of more than 300 separate pieces of land. On these more than 300 separate pieces of land the State may erect lean-tos for shelter and build trails. One may hunt and fish in season. One may snowshoe, ski or hike. Also the Conservation Department maintains truck trails to be used in emergencies such as fire fighting. Right next to the more than 300 separate pieces of Forest Preserve land are other lands, privately owned, on which the owner may erect closed shelters and install amusements and what is called "access facilities" to his heart’s content. No one can stop him. He may be within the "Blue Line" but the Blue Line does not exclude him from doing these things. In normal years between 600,000 and 700,000 persons are accommodated in the Forest Preserve on State campsites. These popular campsites fill a definite need and purpose and are a means of introducing an outdoor type of

*The author's name can be found on final page of article.

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