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[at-l] Re: Losing land to AT

"Took" is not quite the right word.  NPS tries valiently to purchase
land that it needs for the AT corridor.  The land is always appraised
to determine fair market value.  However it does not take into account
sentimental value to someone who has owned it for a long time.  If the
land owner is not a willing seller, then NPS may apply eminent domain
laws.  On a trail wide basis it has had to do this relatively few
times.  Frequently just the threat is enough to get a reluctant owner
to settle.  In any case, the landowner gets the full appraised value,
and may appeal almost endlessly in court if s/he feels the settlement
is not proper.  It should be sufficient to buy a similar property near
by if s/he desires.

It is unfortunate, but someone is always in the path of the
steamroller.  One cannot give up and be blackmailed into unreasonable
settlements because the whole process is like a domino chain, and once
a path is decided on it would be very expensive to sell that route and
try a different one.  Choosing a route is a delicate balancing act
between getting a good route and a getting a route that is purchasable
at a feasible cost.

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