Monday, August 8, 2011

Promises made....

Proponents for expanding the park have emerged from some sort of disarray that had one wondering what happened to their whole American Alps Legacy Project and have recently released a draft version of their proposal nearly a year later than projected.
What has changed since last year? Nothing, really, just the same old spin that expanding the park will benefit everybody and everything: the gateway communities' economies; the wildlife and habitat; the outdoor recreationists; the future generations – you name it, it's a win-win situation, of course!

Unfortunately, the whole proposal is complicated and largely unnecessary with plenty of unwanted "benefits."

Here's a telling quote from the draft proposal (italics added for emphasis):

"Most existing recreation uses on the new park lands will be preserved. American Alps legislation will direct the Park Service to work with interested parties to assure that these popular recreation uses are continued where they will not impact fish, wildlife, or the outdoor experiences of other visitors. Opportunities for Nordic skiing and dog walking will be maintained in selected areas. Party-size limits for groups providing outdoor experiences for youth will be kept at their current level. Horseback riding will be continued in the Park. Backpacking and hiking will be unchanged under Park management, with the exception of free permits for backcountry camping."

Read between the lines: "where they will not impact," "in selected areas," "will be unchanged..."
Expansion of the North Cascades National Park will bring about a series of radical changes that at first will only be the tip of the iceberg. Promises made will not be promises kept.

Here's another choice quote from the draft proposal:

"Visitation to the National Park and RLNRA are unusually low given the spectacular beauty and size of these national park units and their proximity to several large metropolitan areas. Low visitation to the Park can be explained by the fact that no paved roads provide access to the Park. The only drivable access is via a gravel road up the Cascades River. Low visitation to the RLNRA is explained by its designation as a national recreation area instead of a national park. National parks have a reputation for world class attractions that attract more visitors. Low visitation to RLNRA can also be attributed to
the limited number of recreation opportunities along Highway 20. Low elevation trails are generally not available. Waterfall tours and wildlife watching sites have not been developed."

It seems really unusual, and completely ironic, for a storied group like the N3C to be so concerned about boosting visitation numbers to the NCNP and the Ross Lake area. After all, this is an organization that has vigorously opposed restoring the Stehekin River Road (that used to be the other drivable access into the park and was a great asset to the business-oriented folks at the upper end of Lake Chelan as well as droves of public land users). What a funny way to look at these issues!

This past weekend, things were hopping at the Ross Lake Resort and on the lake itself. Maybe the fact that this beautiful area is not as busy as Ranier or the Olympics could be a good thing? And as far as there not being many recreation opportunities along the North Cascades Highway? These folks must be either lazy, ignorant or have too much dust in their eyes from the recent chip-seal project on the highway to see the potential existing opportunities for easy adventure. (BTW, check out the great new boardwalk at Happy Creek just east of the Ross Lake Trailhead.)

Stay tuned for more dismantling of one of the more bizarre "conservation" proposals to come around in a long time....