IN THE NEWS

LACONIA CITIZEN EDITORIAL
SEPTEMBER 3, 2003

WE ARE WHAT WE CONSERVE

Conservation is an important ingredient in regional planning.


We read a lot about abuse of the environment. It is satisfying and gives us hope when we read of people who want to use the environment in a positive manner, a use of benefit to all of us. A conservation group wants to create an 80 - to 100 mile hiking trail that would meander through the Lakes Region, a mini-Appalachian Trail with fewer challenges than the one that extends from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.

The Lakes Region is one of New Hampshire's most beautiful areas, one that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to our state. The Lakes Region Conservation Trust has put forth an exciting plan, one that would take 10 years to complete, but, in the end, expand the use of a part of our state that is already a valuable asset.

A lot of work has to be done and cooperative efforts have to be realized before the vision of the regional trust can be implemented. Tom Curren, president of the Trust, says the trail "would allow people to come up here, throw away their car keys and do a week's hike while staying in local bed and breakfasts and hotels. It's for people that don't have time to do the Appalachian Trail. They can cover the Lakes Region and see some incredible views. It's important that this vision for New Hampshire gets asserted, instead of one about sprawl and congestion,'' Curren said. "The reality is, that's not how people want to see their land used."

It's a magnificent idea. Anyone who has hiked the ridge along the west side of Lake Winnipesaukee or stood atop Mount Major in Alton and gazed across the waters of New Hampshire's largest body of water did so in awe. It is a spectacle of beauty never lost on one who has taken advantage of nature's wonder in such a setting. It only one such opportunity offered in many parts of New Hampshire. Heather Clish, Director of trails and the riverway stewardship for the Appalachian Mountain Club describes the territory the trust is talking about as "spectacular."

The plan offers something not otherwise offered in New Hampshire. A path with an east-west footprint; a trail from Wolfeboro on Lake Winnipesaukee to Mount Kearsarge in the Sunapee Region. It is a path from which to explore some of New Hampshire's most interesting land south of the White Mountains. The Lakes Region Conservation Trust has been successful in the past getting people to donate land in an effort to avoid high property taxes and confiscatory estate taxes.

The people of New Hampshire have become more aware of the need and advantage to protect today's assets for the enjoyment of future generations. The Trust has a proven record of responsible conservation. Even now it is working on conserving more than 20,000 acres in the Lakes Region, including the 5,400 acres around Castle in the Clouds in Moultonboro. Conservation is an important part of a state's development. No, conservation and development are not incompatible. The term is an interdependent one. Responsible development is the best use of land as a resource and conservation of land go hand in hand. Conservation is an important ingredient in regional planning. People from elsewhere in the country visit New Hampshire because it is a very special place. The first visit is seldom the last one. The plan put forth by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust deserves broad support. It deserves the endorsement of the State of New Hampshire and its relevant agencies. It is vision and an effort that warrants support in the highest circles. New Hampshire's landmass is not large when compared to many others states. But New Hampshire is a land of many uses, uses that make it a very special place in which to live.