Excellent, iBrock.
to the point, and a good summation of how you feel.
I would also send this to local papers, so you can get more people to realize that this is a reality that is happening.
We can stop this as a team.
Below is the draft of a letter I plan to email to every NYS offical I can. I welcome any comments/feedback prior to sending it out to the world. Thanks.
Dear ____,
I pen this letter as a concerned resident of the great State of New York.I am normally a quiet person, who keeps to myself and spends my free time with my family.But now I am compelled to write out of fear:a fear that you are about to make a tragic and potentially irreversible mistake by closing our state’s invaluable parks and historical sites.
While I am very aware that America is in the midst of a rather dramatic worldwide economic crisis, I am also aware that money is a fleeting thing.These harsh times will pass like they always have and it is in the years that follow that history will be written.Should our legacy be tainted by the callous abandonment of our precious and limited natural beauty and historic heritage?Money comes and goes, but once we allow the loss of parklands or the place where General Washington bedded down with his men on their long road to independence, we will never be able to reclaim those treasures save for on the pages of history books.This is unacceptable and if allowed to occur, our great state will never be the same.
As I travel with the Army, I often encounter folks from around the country (and the world for that matter) whose vision of New York is the suburban sprawl of the southern part of the state.I am quick to inform them that we live in one of the most vast, scenic and beautiful states in the nation.I show them my pictures of the Catskills, the Adirondacks and especially of my own back yard, Schunnemunk Mountain.I sincerely hope that my sentiments will remain a reality, and not some fond, forlorn memory.
Please keep our parks and historical sites open.Find a way to fund a legacy that transcends our generation and our current problems.I have risked my life in defense of our great nation, and while in those far off places it is my memories of New York’s vast, green forests that help guide me through the dark times.Do not take them away.
Below is just a sampling of the letter I sent to the Governor, my assemblyman, and my senator on why state parks are important to me (I have included Schunemunk in the letter):
State parks are necessary for many reasons: wildlife study, outdoor recreation, historical study (Harriman State Park has an abundance of iron mines that are fascinating in their local history); geological study: there are distinct differences in basic structure in the following: the Shawangunks (which rock climbers love); the Catskills (formed by an eroded plateau); the Adirondacks (which from what I understand are still growing in elevation due to a shift in the plate tectonics); Schunemunk Mountain State Park, which was formed by conglomerate bedrock (known as pudding stone), and is truly wondrous when one hikes on it, for it is one of THE last places that one can find the Eastern Timber Rattlesnake protected within its range. It has been exterminated in Maine and other northern areas due to private land encroachment. The rattlesnake is one good predator that feeds mainly on rodents, which have the ability to spread disease. The timber rattlesnake is a timid creature, not vicious as all snakes are portrayed in films and other propaganda.
Many of our species of wildlife can be found endemic (only in New York State parks), which I find to be a great reason for keeping the parks open for tourism reasons. Ecotourism is a win-win situation, because people have enjoyed the public lands of New York State even before they became public: the Dutch, the Indians, early settlers, etc. I believe that our state park system is truly a wonderful entity that gives the young and old a rewarding, enriching experience everytime they set foot onto a state park land.
I think of Ken Burns, the great filmmaker, who just recently launched a public television series on the history of our national parks. I think that in addition to our national parks, our state parks are one of the key reasons we as citizens of New York can feel proud to live here. Saratoga Battlefield State Park is also another area where history and nature prosper: it is a place where people can cross country ski, can participate in watching wildlife such as Henslow's Sparrows, and take tours of the revolutionary battlefields at Saratoga.
As a constituent of the great state of New York, I am proud to be living in one of the most historical and scenic places in the country. I look forward to seeing our state parks become protected for many decades to come, for the sake of our youth, who also have the opportunity to discover what our great landscapes have to offer. Many of the great painters in American history come out of the Hudson River school: Thomas Cole (who has a mountain named after him), and Jasper Cropsey, were true lovers of the great outdoors and created visual masterpieces of places such as the Catskills and the Adirondacks.
As a citizen of New York State, I cherish my state parks. Please do not close state parks; it is the one thing in many people's lives that helps sustain them physically, and spiritually.
Thank you for considering my letter, and I hope that parks do not become a private entity, because everyone should benefit from the great open spaces unique to New York State.
Hello, I am deeply disturbed by this news, but I need some help understanding the possible permutations if this cutting of parks comes to pass. I live on Schunnemunk Mountain, and I see that the State Park here is on the list of closures. As such, I am personally affected by this. My family and I only have to walk out of our back door to be on the trails. My son is finally of the age where we can do several hours of hiking together, and now I fear we may lose this natural haven in our backyard.
If someone could answer my questions/concerns, I would be deeply grateful.
1. If these parks are closed, will it be forever, or is this a reversible situation, perhaps by the next state administration?
2. If the parks are closed, is that an automatic opportunity for the state to sell the land to developers?
3. I will be contacting my local and state level politicians on this issue, but are there other avenues of protest? Are there any advocacy group(s) for Schunnemunk Mountain specifically?
I guess my fear here is that this is a one-way, short-term money making scheme for the Governor so that he can solve his current fiscal problems without regard to the future of our state.
Also, if anyone has more information on the park closing issue, and on Schunnemunk in particular, I would love to hear it. I will be doing a lot of research this weekend, along with an impromptu hike, while I still can.
iBrock...
I am not an expert at any of this but these are my hunches:
1. I believe this would just be a temporary situation, possibly reversed or revised at the next budget proposals next year, at the least.
2. I think there are rumours going around that this could happen. I suppose if the state wanted to, they could sell it. However, I don't see how that would be advantageous in the long run. The parks bring in a lot of money to the state (including local communities) year to year. IF they were to start selling off parkland, expect a LOT of protests!
3. Maybe you could think about starting up a Facebook page to Save Schunnemunk. There's one that I just joined recently to Save Minnewaska. It's a really good way to network and get the word out there!
They won't fence the place off so you can't get in. It'll probably be just closed signs at the trail heads which the locals will ignore. The big problem is that it'll discourage all the birders and hiking clubs from the wealthier southern and eastern counties from coming to the area and spending their money here.
Since this is a budget crunch this will mean easy money for the state. Have the police ticket cars which would now be parked "illegally" in closed parks.
The situation is of course absurd. Any hiker knows that park officials are practically non-existent on the trails below the Adirondacks. They could easily close the visitor centers and allow access to the trails, but that would not generate money from people who merely wish to hike at their own discretion. This is all that we do now, anyway.
Listen we cant let crazy greedy New PEOPLE come in to save money to put in their personal accounts so they can go all over the world and us little people that love NEW YORK and all of its great parks and love camping. YOU CANNOT do this TO US and wish THAT all involved we reconsider the stupidity of this idea or even more so the people lives you will be affecting!
I saw your Thatcher Park group on fb but I wonder if fragmenting into all our own little camps is as effective as sticking together as one big Save NYS Parks group
re: letter
Draft letter - feedback requested
Below is the draft of a letter I plan to email to every NYS offical I can. I welcome any comments/feedback prior to sending it out to the world. Thanks.
Dear ____,
I pen this letter as a concerned resident of the great State of New York. I am normally a quiet person, who keeps to myself and spends my free time with my family. But now I am compelled to write out of fear: a fear that you are about to make a tragic and potentially irreversible mistake by closing our state’s invaluable parks and historical sites.
While I am very aware that America is in the midst of a rather dramatic worldwide economic crisis, I am also aware that money is a fleeting thing. These harsh times will pass like they always have and it is in the years that follow that history will be written. Should our legacy be tainted by the callous abandonment of our precious and limited natural beauty and historic heritage? Money comes and goes, but once we allow the loss of parklands or the place where General Washington bedded down with his men on their long road to independence, we will never be able to reclaim those treasures save for on the pages of history books. This is unacceptable and if allowed to occur, our great state will never be the same.
As I travel with the Army, I often encounter folks from around the country (and the world for that matter) whose vision of New York is the suburban sprawl of the southern part of the state. I am quick to inform them that we live in one of the most vast, scenic and beautiful states in the nation. I show them my pictures of the Catskills, the Adirondacks and especially of my own back yard, Schunnemunk Mountain. I sincerely hope that my sentiments will remain a reality, and not some fond, forlorn memory.
Please keep our parks and historical sites open. Find a way to fund a legacy that transcends our generation and our current problems. I have risked my life in defense of our great nation, and while in those far off places it is my memories of New York’s vast, green forests that help guide me through the dark times. Do not take them away.
Schunemunk is my state park, and I love it. Please leave it free
Need help understanding all of this.
Hello, I am deeply disturbed by this news, but I need some help understanding the possible permutations if this cutting of parks comes to pass. I live on Schunnemunk Mountain, and I see that the State Park here is on the list of closures. As such, I am personally affected by this. My family and I only have to walk out of our back door to be on the trails. My son is finally of the age where we can do several hours of hiking together, and now I fear we may lose this natural haven in our backyard.
If someone could answer my questions/concerns, I would be deeply grateful.
1. If these parks are closed, will it be forever, or is this a reversible situation, perhaps by the next state administration?
2. If the parks are closed, is that an automatic opportunity for the state to sell the land to developers?
3. I will be contacting my local and state level politicians on this issue, but are there other avenues of protest? Are there any advocacy group(s) for Schunnemunk Mountain specifically?
I guess my fear here is that this is a one-way, short-term money making scheme for the Governor so that he can solve his current fiscal problems without regard to the future of our state.
Also, if anyone has more information on the park closing issue, and on Schunnemunk in particular, I would love to hear it. I will be doing a lot of research this weekend, along with an impromptu hike, while I still can.
Thanks,
iBrock
re: Need help understanding all this
They won't ban you
...But they can fine you!
closing the state parks NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
John Boyd Thacher State Park Closing
Saving Parks through social networking