Reflections


Of all the activities available to me on the final day of December, none appealed more than the idea of putting together a pot of fish chowder to stew on the woodstove while I took off on an eight-mile walk. It was a pleasure to combine haddock, scallops, home-cured bacon, onions, potatoes, and fresh milk into a portfolio that would reach maturity upon my return home. I laced up my old Limmer boots and headed westward towards the ridge of Peaked Hill, where the view would encompass Newfound Lake, Cardigan, Plymouth Mountain, Franconia Notch, Sandwich Dome, Red Hill, the Ossipees, Copple Crown, the Belknaps, and, at that point, nearly all of the twentieth century. At the turn of a busy millennium, it is something of a comfort to be a New Englander on a hike through the woods. Four centuries of American perspective is available hereabouts on the New England landscape, if we choose to consult it. The outward destination on my walk was the site of an old farmhouse, built around 1810, abandoned early this century, and now a cellar hole flanked by old sugar maples and other forest growth. I come here, not often enough, to reflect upon who I am and what I am doing. At such times, I am reminded that so much of what we achieve in this life is the result of what others have done before our time. As a boy, I learned of the efforts to preserve the White Mountains and to build the AMC trail system, and read of the generations that believed in the value of conservation and in the virtues of a life lived out of doors. At the turn of the last century, Governor Frank Rollins proclaimed: "Every man that you take away from the city and plant in the country is a distinct gain to civilization. The true life of man is lived out of doors, upon the soil, where he can study the ways of plants and animals, the movements of the heavenly bodies, and get close to Nature." These are useful thoughts for a society approaching the close of the 20th century, and, more particularly , for those of us who are devoted to preserving the landscape for wildlife and for the benefit of humanity. The world has seen incredible technological developments in the years since Governor Rollins' era, but we have evidence that other aspects of human endeavor may be suffering from jet lag. Perhaps our better natures, like the moose and the loon, can make a comeback in the near future. People need the influence of wilderness as much as do the animals whose natures we have the curious habit of considering to be beneath our own. We have a unique opportunity, here and now, to keep faith with the sacrifices of our forebears and to preserve a living landscape for our posterity. The year past was indeed a time of great accomplishment for the Trust, but it is only a fraction of the good that we can do in the months and years ahead. Our thanks to all those who devote themselves to this work, and our best wishes for the New Year.

Sincerely,

Thomas S. Curren
Executive Director