Big win for the High Peaks

I strongly support the growth of the High Peaks Wilderness in the Adirondack Park. I encourage Governor Andrew Cuomo to accept the proposal made by the Adirondack Council and other environmental groups to expand the Wilderness Area to more than 280,000 acres.

As a student studying public lands, I believe that the growth and expansion of the High Peaks Wilderness area will allow New York to become among the leaders of wilderness protection and set an example for the rest of the world.

I highly agree with Peter S. Paine Jr. and William H. Kissel’s guest opinion, “A bold vision for High Peaks” [January/February 2016], that a fair compromise would be to classify the great majority as Wilderness and allow a Primitive Area for road access along Gulf Brook Road to LaBiere Flow. This would keep the integrity of the heart of the land, and encourage visitors by making some of the land more accessible to the public.

This is a topic that I have not seen mentioned in many local newsletters, and I believe this is an important issue and should be made more public. Many people in the Saratoga community, particularly the students at Skidmore College, are avid hikers and strong proponents of environmental protection and conservation and would strongly encourage this proposal to be accepted.

Jen Cristiano, Saratoga Springs