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Show Sdtard. April llih. THE HERA1D, Frwe. T. 1W1 - Ffef ? for little Adirondack: for 'Millions of acres people5 bugs, - NORTH CREEK, N Y. APi For this time of year, it as a deceptively mara day. Tall pines and hemlocks reached for a cloudless sky. Big, thick-coate- d dogs sprawled along dusty roads. Locals walked tc lnch shirtsleeves. But breaking through the still mountain air was the rhythmic thwack of hammers, the whine of drills, the beep of heavy equipment backing up and the roar of bulldozers. In North Creek these days, modern 'townhouse communities" seem to sprout from the mountainsides more thickly than wildflowers, and a devtloper is reshaping two blocks that make up nearly half of the business district in this tiny Adirondack village. This kind of development has environmentalists worried about the future of the Adirondack Park, a 6 million-acr- e tract of forest and mountains bigger than any other state or national park in the lower 48 states. But it also represents the kind of economic revitalization that some North Creek natives, like restaurant owner Francis Smith, have been waiting for. Smith's Restaurant, a coffee shop and tavern, has been in his family since the early 1920s. "I'm a businessman, so to me the development is a good thing," said Smith, sitting in a worn red booth. "On the other hand, there seems to be just too much construction going on. Maybe it's going overboard." How much is too much is on the minds of many in the Adirondack Park, a vast patchwork of private and public land, much of the latter guaranteed by the state constitution to remain "forever wild." The state regulates all new development in the park through a land-us- e plan. Its provi- - a pine-pancle- d vinyl-padd- Earth Day mmtiiiM a mm s sions have made for plenty of strife among those wanting to protect the park's undeniable beauty, those trying to make a living and a home within its boundaries, and those looking to make money exploiting its riches. With the 20th anniversary of Earth Day just three weeks away, the battle over land use in the park has flared in anticipation of a report, to be presented to Gov. Mario Cuomo on Sunday, from the Commission on the in the 21st Century. Cuomo cited increasing property values, development and land speculation last year when he appointed the commission to help map the park's future. In 1969, a similar commission Nelson appointed by then-GoRockefeller devised what was at the time considered a bold plan to control development seen as a threat to the Adirondack wilderness. Of the park's 3.5 million acres of private land, 53 percent was restricted to having just one house for each 43 acres. Home sites of 7 acres were mandated for an additional 35 percent. The remaining 12 percent of private land fell into six various use categories. The plan slowed development im- v. but bred among many local residents, officials and developers. The next sev, eral years were a time of broken windows, slashed tires and punches. Mounds of animal waste were delivered to the Adirondack Park Agency, the state body set up in 1973 to regulate development. Bad feelings are welling again as many Adirondack people anticipate the Cuomo commission will recommend even stricter land use controls. "When these people were picked (for the commission) we knew their position," said Francis Casier, a Saranac Lake builder. "The state has designated 1.5 million acres as wetlands for grasses and bugs, but only a few thousand acres for human beings," he said. "The highest and best use for our land should be for homes and amenities for people and their families." Development would bring jobs Simple Things Welcome to Earthworks, where you'll find practical, accessible, entertaining tips about little things you can do at home and at work to help protect our world. For example: By buying the right kind of light bulb, you can save the energy equivalent of 1 ,000 pounds of coal and help fight acid rain. By adding an inexpensive fixture your faucets, you can save 3,000 to to and 5,000 gallons of water a year never notice a difference in the flow. By keeping automobile tires properly inflated, we can save millions of gallons of gas every year and keep billions of pounds of "greenhouse gases" out of the atmosphere. Using EarthWorks Dozens of simple, practical ideas can help you protect our planet. In the weeks and months ahead, you'll read about: The latest in consumer technology. As important new products appear whether they're manufactured by corporate giants or individual entrepreneurs we'll tell you about them. How to buy a better environment. When we purchase something, we make a public statement about our personal concerns. EarthWorks will show you how our spending habits affect the Earth and how changing U.S.A. So many politicians took to the blackened sands of Huntington , Mi - -- V-- , TV" 1 ap group of towuhouses sits in the Adirondacks at North Creek, Adirondack Park, the largest park in the lower 48 states. A and money to a region where "the quality of life is great, as long as you dont need to spend any money," said Barbara Delczeg, who works for the Gore Mountain Ke- - gion Chamber of Commerce. The jht capita income of the 130.0IK) park residents is just 72 percent of the state average. It's about 94 percent of the average for .Y., in the southeast ijiwriiiM'U' part ot the slate's rural counties. "We need this growth so much." said Delczeg. "We need the jobs, we need tlie money. We need U to survive." uvi FURNISHINGS CREDITOR them will help. Environmental household hints from using a laun- dry detergent to cutting down on junk mail, from recycling to composting. Community success stories because it's encouraging to hear about people who have tried to make a difference and have succeeded. .n l i Certified Liquidators It's Our Turn EarthWorks offers a simple message: If we want to save the Earth, we have to do it ourselves. As Chris Calwell of the Natural Resources Defense Council says: "No point in letting the news reports and magazine coverage drive you to despair; even the most 'intractable' environmental problems march toward a solution when everyday people get involved." And in the words of the 18th century British statesmanphilosopher, Edmund Burke: "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." I'm ready to do my part. I hope you'll join me every week. 1990 THE EARTHWORKS GROUP Benglewood, TcS - alternative wrth leaves us repossess c ed are all-tim- FURNITURE & APPLIANCE PRICES REDUCED REGARDLESS OF LOSSES! SPC DEMANDS PAYMENT THIS LIMITED TIME SALE WILL BE HELD AT be Mediately we 1616 So. State St. Orem, Utah w proceeds at sold to the public ocean bottom, improving procedures for oil spill cleanup, and moratoputting a fourth year-lon- g rium on new offshore drilling. "The interest in the general public in protecting the coastline is at e an high," declared Ann Whitfield, executive director of the Florida Public Interest Research Group. The oil industry, meanwrhile, BWd 5675 DTC Coio. Gentlemen: company reforms emerge as hot issues - ihv demanded by . . . COLLETT'S HOWIE y Oil Even an LOS ANGELES (AP) environmental debacle like the Huntington Beach oil spill generates its own kind of gallows humor, including this joke among residents: Question: What do you get when you mix oil and water? Answer: Politicians. In this case, it seemed as if there were one politician for every barrel of oil washing up on Surf City h angry-words- Simple Ways to Save the Earth by John Javna Almost every day for the past decade, we've been inundated with bad acid news about the environment rain, overflowing landfills, the depletion of the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect and more. And every day, we're increasingly frustrated by our apparent inability to do anything about it. We're overwhelmed; after all, what can one person do? Well, here's some good news: We can make a difference. y contempt Earthworks DIFFERENCE - O mediately 3 WE CAN MAKE A f.vi " v m W3f ?! i """" 4 Blocks University Mall R.M. Barley Credit Manager YOU DON'T NEED CASH CREDIT AVAILABLE THIS IS ALL NEW 1ST QUALITY MERCHANDISE ALL PRICES F.O.B. DOCK BRING YOUR TRUCKS, TRAILERS, ETC. wor- ries about an overreaction that could stifle U.S. oil production and return the country to the days of oil Beach to condemn the Feb. 7 spill embargoes and gas lines. from the ruptured American Trader But even many oil officials contanker that Mayor Tom Mays had cede more must be done to avoid to ask them to go through his office spills and to minimize damage first so they wouldn't interfere with when they occur. "While it is impossible to guaranthe cleanup. In this election year, talking tee that future accidents will never tough against the oil companies, happen, we are committed to workwith proposals to ban offshore drilling to prevent them and to improving and to enact strict tanker safety ing the industry's safety record," measures, adds up to smart poli- said James Benton, executive director of the New Jersey Petroleum tics. For the first time in a decade, Council. Benton spoke at a recent meeting environmentalists, politicians and even some oil industry executives between oil executives and officials expect this 20th anniversary year of of New York and New Jersey, Earth Day to bring sweeping re- where four major spills in the first 10 weeks of 1990 dumped almost form to the oil industry. The reform movement is being 730,000 gallons of heating oil and pushed by oil spills in Alaska, heavy crude into the Arthur Kill California, New York, New Jersey and Kill van' Kull waterways beand Louisiana and a growing feel- tween New York City and northern ing among Americans that more New Jersey. should be done to protect the enviWilson, a Republican, is a longtime opponent of offshore drilling, ronment. so much so' that his stance strained Possible changes include requiring double hulls and bottoms on relations with the White House in tankers, shifting shipping lanes far- the early months of the ther offshore, better charting of the South Of 0 CTIOtML--5 STORE HOURS Mon thru Fri Noon to 8:00 p.m. MODULAR: Sat Sun 10-- Noon-5:0- 7 0 RICLIflR: OCCASIONAL CHA IMP! APPUANC 0 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmWKBtRKtKlmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmlBm SALE CONDUCTED BY SPC CERTIFIED LIQUIDATORS |
