[at-l] AMC

[cballs@mindspring.com (Curtis Balls)]

My natural sympathies are with the thru-hikers and I understand and share
some of their feelings and criticisms however I think Weary has got this
summed up about right.  I tried to point out some of this in my journal
where I wrote at some length about the contentions between thru-hikers and
the AMC.  Weary's historical perspective is much more detailed and
important to keep in mind in any criticism of the AMC, especially the one
about if you want to change it then get involved.

Curtis


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Cummings" <ellen@clinic.net>
To: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2001 12:06 PM
Subject: [at-l] AMC


> The AMC was created a century and a quarter ago as a scientific group to
explore
> and build trails and facilities in the White Mountains. It gradually
evolved
> into the leading environmental group dealing with outdoor issues in the
> northeast.
>
>  The first huts were built long before the mountains became the White
Mountain
>  National Forest. The forest was created mostly because the AMC fought
for its
>  creation for many decades. The mountains are still reasonably wild
because of
>  AMC efforts to create the National Forest and because they have fought
for
>  years to keep the major focus on outdoor recreation.
>
>  The huts remain because National Forest are multiple use areas. Just as
ski
>  areas have been allowed under licenses from the Forest Service in most
of the
>  northern National Forests -- including the Whites -- the AMC has a
permit from
>  the Forest Service Service to operate the huts.
>
>  The permit was reissued a couple of years ago after lengthy hearings in
which
>  the overwhelming majority of people who testified supported the
continuation of
>  the huts. The forest manager testified at the hearing that he couldn't
operate
>  the forest as primarily a recreation area without the work AMC does.
>
>  AMC maintains the trails, does rescue work and fights for clean air and
water.
>
>  Most of the hydroelectric dams in northern New England have come up for
>  relicensing in the past decade. AMC has been the leading voice arguing
for
>  minimum flows for fishing, and canoeing, and for preserving access for
these
>  activities.
>
>  Most of the northern forest is on the market. AMC is the major voice
seeking
>  preservation of some of these lands for public use.
>
>  Are they always right? No. The AMC, like the ATL is made up of humans
who as a
>  species are sometimes less than rational.
>
> Are the huts perfect? No. Could they be run better to serve the needs of
thru
> hikers? Of course. But thru hikers make up an infinitesimal part of the
users of
> these mountains -- 500 at the most out of the tens of thousands who use
these
> lands annually.
>
> Despite this the AMC has gone out of its way to accommodate thru hiker
needs.
> The AMC does not manage the White Mountains. They maintain most of the
trails
> under an agreement with the Forest Service. They run the huts in
accordance with
> their permit with the Forest Service.
>
> Those who want more campsites in the Whites need to approach the White
Mountain
> National Forest. The management plans which are adopted every 10 years
are
> essentially compromises among all the many user groups -- hikers,
wilderness
> advocates, road advocates, commercial use advocates, snow mobile
advocates, ATV
> advocates ... the list is endless.
>
> None of these battles are easy. They involve writing proposals, attending
boring
> meetings, petitioning politicians. As I've said numerous times the trail
is not
> something that just happened. People fought to create it and fight to
keep it as
> wild as possible.
>
> The fact that the White Mountains remain attractive enough to be the
destination
> area for millions of people a year didn't just happen. People (mostly AMC
> members) fought to create and preserve this attractiveness from the
overcut and
> fire ravaged forest that existed when the forest was established.
>
> Weary
>
>
>
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