Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's HighlandsState University of New York Press, 2012 M02 1 - 216 pages This is the inspiring story of the twenty-five-year-long effort to preserve Sterling Forest, a tract of rugged, upland terrain encompassing twenty thousand acres within the New York–New Jersey Highlands. Barely forty miles northwest of New York City, Sterling Forest seemed destined to suffer the same fate that had befallen thousands of acres of land in this rapidly suburbanizing corridor. The fight to save Sterling Forest brought together one of the largest coalitions of environmental groups and government entities ever assembled. Despite the loose, sometimes fractious nature of the alliance, the coalition managed to extract support from Congress, New York State, New Jersey, and private donors, while at the same time negotiating a contract to purchase the land from the Sterling Forest Corporation, a company that vigorously protected its financial interests at every turn. Deemed by some to be one of the more remarkable environmental victories of the 1990s, the successful outcome of the Sterling Forest struggle—a large state park within easy access of millions of people and a protected supply of water to New Jersey residents—embodied virtually every facet of land-use conflict. It provides a model for saving other areas where critical wild lands are threatened by development. |
Contents
1 | |
2 Money from the Colonial Rocks | 7 |
3 The Sprawl Wars Begin | 23 |
4 The Art of Launching a ForestPreservation Movement 19851990 | 41 |
5 New Corporate Actions Make Enviros Scramble | 73 |
6 Government Sees Green | 99 |
7 Turning the Grassrootsinto a Fighting Force | 115 |
Other editions - View all
Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's Highlands Ann Botshon Limited preview - 2007 |
Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's Highlands Ann Botshon No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
acquire acquisition acres additional agency allow appropriation Association Bergen Record bill Binnewies build City Coalition commitment Committee concerns Conference Congress Conservation continued corporation’s costs create deal Dolan early effort entire environmental environmentalists federal funding going Governor growth Harriman hearing Highlands Holdings Home House Hudson Humbach important included increase interest Interstate Park Commission Investing iron issue Jersey Jersey’s John Lake land legislation letter major March meetings Middletown Times Herald-Record million Mountain move natural negotiations NewYork officials ofthe open space Orange County Palisades Interstate Park passed political population portion preservation president proposal protect purchase region remained Representative Republican River Robert Senate September Service Sterling Forest Corporation Thruway tion town tract Trail Tuxedo units wanted watershed York