[at-l] Development plans raise concerns

[wdlists at optonline.net (Walt Daniels)]

 NPS gets notices from planning boards about many projects but certainly not
all. One of the problems is that they frequently get sent to NPS
headquarters, not the AT park office, so that by the time they get to the
local management committees the hearings have already happened. The
Dutchess/Putnam AT Management committee has members (not enough) that try to
watch what each of the towns is doing. There is no substitute for watching
for flagging tape. That is why we monitor all the NPS boundaries. Any
surveyors working on adjacent properties tend to work off the NPS boundary
markers and leave flagging tape in the area. Almost every local management
committee can use more monitors, so those of you who like to bushwhack,
should ask your local committee if they have openings.

I am on my town's Conservation Board and Open Space committees and see what
I believe to be everything that is proposed. Unfortunately my town does not
adjoin the AT. Even that is not good enough as some people don't know about
the process they should go through and just do things, like clear 3 acres of
wetland without appropriate permits. They get caught and fined but
frequently not before significant damage is done. Here is another
opportunity for volunteers if you live in a town the AT passes through. Get
involved in the town government and act as spies.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-l-bounces@backcountry.net 
> [mailto:at-l-bounces@backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Jim Bullard
> Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 9:17 AM
> To: Bror8588@aol.com; RoksnRoots@aol.com; AT-L@backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Development plans raise concerns
> 
> At 06:38 AM 7/13/2005 -0400, Bror8588@aol.com wrote:
> >It seems that no one is aware of projects affecting the AT until the 
> >bulldozers begin to tear through the mountainside.  At this 
> point it is 
> >too  late!
> >The information needs to be shared in the early processes of 
> a  project.
> >
> >"We have found the problem....and it is us."  Who said that? 
>  Was  it Pogo?
> 
> Pogo it was, but the correct line is "We have met the enemy 
> and he is us" 
> <http://www.igopogo.com/we_have_met.htm>. The problem is that 
> often those development plans that might cause controversy 
> are deliberately kept secret by developers and local 
> development oversight officials until later phases of 
> planning when public hearing are required. The hearings are 
> then announced via the newspapers that fewer of us read every 
> passing day and unless someone notices and alerts the rest of 
> us, yes the bulldozers are already starting their work when 
> it comes to our attention.
> 
> In some areas (i.e. the Adirondacks) there are legal 
> provisions requiring developers to submit their plans to the 
> APA (Adirondack Park Agency) in addition to any local 
> planning authorities. The difference there is that the APA 
> has authority equivalent to a zoning board for the entire park. 
> Their authority is over both public and private lands in the 
> park. I don't believe that ATC as such authority and I wonder 
> if there is a mandate requiring developers to even directly 
> notify ATC of projects that are outside but within a certain 
> distance of the corridor. Perhaps someone with better 
> knowledge of the ATC's authority could answer that.
> 
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