Editor,
Thank you, Nicky Boyette, for reporting on my remarks to the Parks Commission in the March 28 issue. I do want to make a correction.
You wrote, in reference to the agreement between Parks and NWA Trailblazers, that I “claimed the document provided little recourse if the trail builders did not abide by the agreement.” This is a misrepresentation of what I said, and it matters because the issue isn’t that we won’t have protections if they don’t comply, the issue is that there is so very little in the agreement that the trail builders must comply with.
This is especially true when it comes to emergency access roads, for which Parks gave them a completely open hand to do as they please. The foundation could in fact use a bulldozer to build multiple emergency access roads all over the park without violating the agreement.
No, I don’t actually think bulldozers are likely to be used, or roads built all over the place, but that possibility emphasizes the point that the foundation has free range to do nearly anything. What may result might be way less egregious than bulldozers, but still plenty harmful to our precious parks’ flora, fauna and natural features. Yes, Parks completely neglected to fulfill due diligence in this rushed project, and I’m sorry to have to say it.
Harrie Farrow