Tahawus Grant $500K

[Adkleaddog]

From the DEC public Website:

FYI!

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/environmentdec/2005b/grant092105.html

[Kevin]

Anything that preserves the adirondacks for future generations is a plus. I do feel that perhaps there are other, more urgent things that could use the money... but I also know when to be grateful something (or anything) positive is being done with public funds ear-marked for historical preservation.

[Woodspirit]

This grant is not to preserve the Adirondacks but instead is intended to create a theme park in what would otherwise be a wilderness area. Not a wise use of public funds.

[Judgeh]

This grant is not to preserve the Adirondacks but instead is intended to create a theme park in what would otherwise be a wilderness area. Not a wise use of public funds.

Woodspirit, would you please elaborate on your viewpoint. The article speaks of restoring and maintaining old construction going back 200 years. I do not see where a theme park is envisioned.

[lumberzac]

The $500K is to go towards stabilizing two structures on the property, the MacNaughton Cottage and the 1854 "New" Blast Furnace. Both of these structures are in very bad shape from years of neglect; the MacNaughton Cottage, built in 1838, may not make it through the winter. The Blast Furnace is the only structure of its type that still has most of its machinery in the entire country. Both of these structures are historically important not only to the Adirondacks, but also to the country.

[Woodspirit]

The grant is for a management plan and interpretive program for an approximately 210 acre proposed historic area in addition to the MacNaughton cottage and the blast furnace. Certainly the preservation of the blast furnace is historically important. Perhaps not so with the cottage, notwithstanding the fact that Teddy Roosevelt slept there under interesting circumstances. Also $ for some preservation of the waterwheel. The rest of Adirondac is interesting perhaps but not historic. Both the MacNaughton cottage and the rest of Adirondac is too deteriorated for any real preservation.

The $500,000 is badly needed in many other areas - forest rangers, land acquisition or stewardship for the Forest Preserve for example. We do not need a 210 acre historic area in a wilderness setting. Imagine the magnitude of the interpretive signage. There is even talk of having someone stationed there and building some sort of interpretive support facility, hence my admittedly tongue in cheek characterization as a theme park. I really think that rewilding should be the management priority for the area.

[lumberzac]

Actually the MacNaughton Cottage is more historically significant the furnace as it is the only standing structure left from the original village at Adirondac and predates the furnace by 16 years. The other buildings at Tahawus are also historically significant as they were part of the Tahawus Club that existed at the site near the turn of the 20th century. As for the buildings being too deteriorated for any “real” preservation work, the answer to that is yet to be determined, which is part of my boss’s and my job to figure out as part of the condition assessment team. We are currently writing a report based on survey work we did at the beginning of the month.

It is quite correct that the $500K is badly needed in many other places, but that would sill be the case regardless of where the money went to. One of our other projects we are working on, Camp Santanoni could desperately use that money as well as more traditional DEC projects.

[Judgeh]

While I can't argue with Woodspirit's complaint, I am also an avid reader of history; especially the Theodore Roosevelt era. It always gives me a great thrill when I'm at Lake Tear to know that this was the spot he learned that Mckinley had taken the final turn for the worse. I didn't know that the cottage still existed until I read this thread. You can't mention the Daks without giving credit to Teddy for his efforts to preserve it! If the money is available to preserve these two structures then I'm all for it!

[Woodspirit]

Judgeh, I have to like anyone that is a Teddy Roosevelt fan. We owe a lot to him.

Lumberzac, I am thrilled that a professional on the subject is on this board even though we may look at this from a different view. I would really like to hear from others on the conflict between preservation and rewilding. There are more issues at Tahawus of the same nature and elsewhere in the Forest Preserve.

[kwc]

"rewilding"?

does that mean closing the road as well, closing the trailheads, the parking lots, etc., and letting everything return to the way it was before anything man-made was in that area?

just curious what you mean ...

[Judgeh]

Judgeh, I have to like anyone that is a Teddy Roosevelt fan. We owe a lot to him.

Lumberzac, I am thrilled that a professional on the subject is on this board even though we may look at this from a different view. I would really like to hear from others on the conflict between preservation and rewilding. There are more issues at Tahawus of the same nature and elsewhere in the Forest Preserve.

Bully!

[Gray Ghost]

We definitely owe a lot to Teddy....boy we could really use a trust buster today...I'm all for preserving this historical area of the ADKs and am happy about the grant.

[Woodspirit]

As to closing roads, trailheads and parking lots, the result depends upon their location with respect to what will be the boundary of the designated Wilderness Area. Trailheads and parking lots are permitted under the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan provided they are within 500 feet of a public highway that forms a boundary to the Wilderness Area. Other than this minor exception, motorized use is not permitted in Wilderness Areas.

I believe that the paved road is either a county or town road, not a state road in which case it would arguably form a boundary and hence the existing improvements would remain as they presently are. Under certain circumstances, DEC can close town roads in the forest preserve which could change this result. It could also be that the road could be classified as a Primitive Corridor which would keep the status quo but would be a poor management choice as it perpetuates an exception to Wilderness in an area that will likely have several of these inconsistencies.

No matter what the fact situation, rest assured that access by trailhead and parking would contine to exist. The most that could happen is that they would be moved to the perimeter of the Wilderness boundary.