To the editor:

The history of rails in the Adirondacks is well known. From the days of logging and mining to the Great Camps of the rich and famous, railroads took advantage of the Adirondacks and the Adirondacks of the railroads. Today the well-protected Forest Preserve is for recreation and for those who serve them. While it is wonderful to preserve some highlights of the bygone era of everything rail, the time is well past to use these wonderful public corridors for more modern pursuits. Time to build this trail.

There are only a few days left (July 23) before the state Department of Transportation will award millions of dollars in contracts to rebuild the Old Forge-to-Tupper Lake rail. This will end hopes of effectively connecting the economies of the Old Forge area and the Tri-Lakes. Snowmobiling has a bigger influence than ever on the winter economics, and bicycling is rapidly growing and perfect for the times.

How long will it be, if ever, before people will choose trains and the shuttle buses that will require?

Strongly speak out now. Towns and villages and counties have the power to reverse this ill-conceived plan before it’s too late. 

“Sunk Cost Logic.”

Scott S. Thompson

Beaver River