To the editor:

This summer, I’ve noticed an uptick in use of the parking areas next to the AuSable River going into Keene Valley. Several times this week, I’ve counted over 20 cars parked at the “beach” across from Marcy Field and have seen numerous portable tables and chairs set up, alcohol being consumed and even a tent pitched on the grass on two separate occasions.

It seems to me that with this kind of use, these spots will end up as barren patches in a short period of time, impacting both aesthetics and erosion — to say nothing of what will be washed downstream.

This week’s observations showed an increase in this behavior, but this phenomenon has been going on for a while now. Quite often this summer I’ve seen campers and SUVs with roll-out tables and awnings parked for a good portion of the day, making their temporary home on these “beaches.”

I’m not sure what the town should consider proper use of these areas, but it strikes me that free, day-long campsites wasn’t the intention. Two-hour parking should be enough to keep the traffic down, turnover high and allow locals to take a quick dip in the river, should they desire to submerge themselves in the sunscreen, food residue and bodily fluids of tourists.

Barring this, if there are still areas with substantial rebar and scrap metal worked into the rocks, the town should consider putting up a warning sign at the very least. Or, perhaps, consider monetizing it as a new, gritty kind of “Adirondack Experience?”

Jared Whalen

Keene Valley