To the editor:
The Nature Conservancy, a town of Tupper Lake landowner and real property taxpayer, values its relationships with Adirondack communities. We've earned a solid reputation for constructively engaging with towns and villages across the Park. We also value our private property rights just as any other landowner does.
The town of Tupper Lake recently notified us of a proceeding on behalf of a private company to attempt to open a road across our Follensby Pond property for private purposes to access an adjoining parcel. The notice indicates that the town's proceeding was initiated on behalf of Preserve Associates LLC, sponsor of the proposed Adirondack Club and Resort development. It is our understanding that the parcel, bordered by our land and about 2 miles of the Raquette River, is actually owned by our neighbor, the Oval Wood Dish Corporation.
The Nature Conservancy purchased the 14,600-acre Follensby Park property in 2008 from the McCormick family as part of our mission to protect ecologically significant natural areas. The Oval Wood Dish Corporation has long held a deeded right-of-way to cross a strip of our land for lumbering purposes only. The proceeding in the town of Tupper Lake to take a right-of-way for development purposes fails to recognize that decades-old agreement between neighboring landowners and the private property rights the legally recorded deeds embody.
The Nature Conservancy has taken no position on the Preserve Associates' Adirondack Club and Resort proposal. We do, however, intend to vigorously defend our fundamental private property rights in the appropriate forum. As a non-confrontational organization, our decision to challenge the proceeding and to litigate was not an easy one. We are a donor-supported, not-for-profit organization. While this may well turn out to be a long and costly process, tying up staff time and funding that would be put to better use toward our science-based conservation mission, we owe it to our many supports to protect this property.
We regret that the taxpayers of Tupper Lake - including The Nature Conservancy - will also be fore to spend precious financial resources on legal counsel in this matter. But we believe that all landowners faced with the same proceeding would defend their private property rights.
Sincerely,
Michael Carr
Executive director
Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
Keene Valley