Public Lands Policy
Conservationists Fret Over Trump’s New Endangered Species Agenda
State appeals ruling barring tree cutting for trails – Adirondack Explorer
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency on Friday announced they have filed an appeal of a ruling blocking tree cutting for construction of “community-connector” snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks.
The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s trail construction cut too many trees to fit with constitutional protections mandating that the Adirondack Forest Preserve will remain “forever wild.” The ruling hinged on an interpretation of the word “timber.” A lawsuit brought by Protect the Adirondacks successfully argued that timber protections must apply to small trees and not just those that could yield marketable logs.
Forest Preserve
Is forest preserve 🌲a good idea 💡?
There was a time not that long ago when the thought was the only way to preserve the land was to lock it up at wilderness. By the turn of the century that approach had some significant criticism with the benefits of scientific forestry becoming well known.
With scientific forestry, public lands are maintained for multiple purposes including timber and in some cases mineral production and grazing. Mixed forests with some young sections and pasture land often provides a better habit for wildlife and increased revenue for recreation purposes.
Sometimes commercial purposes can conflict with recreational and ecological goals. But at the same time, I’m not really sure if closing off the forest preserve to all timber production or creation of infrastructure is appropriate either.
Camel Hump
Why Did The Passenger Pigeon Go Extinct? The Answer Might Lie In Their Toes – NPR
Garfield beach phone mystery solved after 30 years
"For more than 30 years bright orange "Garfield" phones have been washing up on the French coast to the bemusement of local beach cleaners, who have finally cracked the mystery behind them. Locals had long suspected a lost shipping container was to blame for the novelty landline phones, modelled on the prickly feline cartoon character, that have plagued the northern Finistere beaches for decades."