Wilderness must be seen as a whole

In considering how to classify some of the lands recently acquired by New York State, the Adirondack Park Agency is making a mistake in not properly taking into account already-existing state land around the acquisition. Instead, the APA chose to view the proposed Paul Schaeffer Wild Rivers Wilderness piecemeal.

Wilderness is a resource that needs to be viewed as a whole to fully understand its biological value. The process that the APA followed did not include an integral part of the proposed Wilderness Area—the Rock River watershed and the mid-section of the Cedar River. This area is Forest Preserve (presently classified Wild Forest) and includes all state land in Township 17 of the Totten and Crossfield Purchase east of Route 28. The Rock and Cedar rivers are already in the state’s Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System.

The APA should hold more public hearings on these Wild Forest lands as soon as possible so we may complete the Paul Schaeffer Wild Rivers Wilderness.

George D. Davis, Portland, OR