NY/NJ Big Guns Line Up for Sterling Forest
Republican Representatives from western states are posing an obstacle to federal participation in the purchase of Sterling Forest, the NY Times reported last week. The Whitman and Pataki Administrations have allocated funds for the forest's purchase from development interests, but the plan requires federal assistance (Governor Pataki wrote in support of the forest's preservation in last Saturday's Times). If preserved, the forest would bridge a gap between NY's Harriman State Park and protected areas in the NJ highlands, creating a partial shield to sprawl northwest of New York City and Bergen County. If developed, pavement and traffic will proliferate in southern Orange County, and development impacts and pressures will be felt in the surrounding areas. A NY Times editorial last week said the developers might as well sell the land for preservation, because of the political thicket any attempt to develop it will face.Congressional delegations from both states are trying to secure a federal role in the partnership, but are being countered by (largely freshmen) western Republicans opposed to additional federal land purchases. Environmental Advocates points out that use of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to buy the forest is being attacked by the very states that have benefitted most from it (to protect land in the west). If purchased, the area would be administered by the bi-state Palisades Interstate Parks Commission, not the federal government. For more information, contact Sterling Forest Resources: 914-294-3098.
