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Apparently, this has been something that's been on the table for many years, but first I've heard of it (mostly because this year the farm bill has gotten so much press).
I see the points that the Senator is making (in the second article), but am a bit discouraged that a lot of those acres are being earmarked for real estate and that they will have to reroute the trails...
I don't want to jump to conclusions though - can anyone provide some background/history/more info on the situation?
I don't really know the details of the Bromley land proposal and don't have the time to research it at the moment, but I am very familar with all sections of the GMNF and have hiked the AT/LT section near Bromley numerous times. The National Forest Lands do have sectors designated as Wilderness areas which will see no use, but the rest of the forest is subject to managed use. Afterall, one of the logos for the national forest is "land of many uses" which range from recreational to even commercial logging operations. Personally, I am not too worried regarding parceling out sections for recreational use as in the case of Bromley. The southern section of the GMNF has numerous wilderness designated areas such as Big Branch, Peru Peak, White Rocks, Lye Brook, and the newly added Glastenbury. Actually, when one looks at the history of the GMNF since its creation in 1932, its boundaries have over the decades steadily been expanded to actually encroach into previously human habitated land holdings, however, once again their are many categories of forest land allowing for varied use.
Just read the MSNBC article and again I am not too concerned over the reference to the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail at Bromley. The trail crosses Rte 11 and in three miles crosses the summit of Bromley Mt where for decades there has been a warming hut which the ski area allows hikers to use along with an observation tower. Any rerouting of the trail would more than likely involve the appraoches to the mountain which really is not a big issue. The Appalachian Trail in its entire 2175 mile length sees numerous section reroutes, many which actually improve the hiking experience. Once again, we have to take with a grain of salt reporting by the media which can create false impressions. It is however interesting that Sen Leahy is doing something favorable for a business in Vt which might actually correspond to economic benefits for the state.
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