By Frank Young

Lindy Purchase Good Start, But --PUSH ON, GOVERNOR!

The state's purchase of the Blackwater Canyon viewing point known as Lindy Point has been much ballyhooed by spokespersons for Governor Underwood and Appalachian Wood Products (AWP) owner John Crites. The implication of gubernatorial and AWP corporate news statements is that the Governor and Crites have "saved" Lindy Point. This ignores the reality that the primary threat to Lindy Point is Crites and AWP’s development plans for the entire Blackwater Canyon region.

And that threat continues, despite the Lindy Point state purchase.

Lindy Point is now perhaps threatened more than ever. Why? Because with this five acre purchase added to Blackwater Falls State Park, politicians can pretend that nothing more needs to be done. Is more needed? YES!

The value of Lindy Point is not in the five acres or so the state bought from AWP. The real value of Lindy Point is the viewshed across, up and down Blackwater Canyon afforded from the famous top of the canyon outcropping. When timber roads and timber cuts become the visual focus of Lindy Point’s visitors and their cameras, then the governor's $50,000 an acre "significant addition" to the state park system becomes virtually worthless. The same will be true when condominiums are constructed within the famous viewshed.

Folks do not travel hundreds of miles to one of the state’s best known natural views just to see the latest timber road, chainsaw techniques or condominium architecture. They come with their cameras and their tourists dollars to see a remarkably scenic natural area nearly untouched by human industry for almost a century.

So should the governor be praised for this one small step? Yes. But right along with this praise should be the admonition to the governor and other officeholders and office seekers to keep moving swiftly toward protecting the entire canyon region. And the way to do this is to see that West Virginia officials and the state’s congressional delegation get the message that West Virginians want nothing less than a Blackwater Canyon National Park designation for the entire canyon region.

To do less, and to allow helter-skelter industrial and commercial development of the Blackwater Canyon region would be to render Lindy Point and the existing Blackwater Falls State Park virtually worthless as tourist attractions.

The state’s purchase of these five acres is only a small beginning toward saving Blackwater Falls State Park and the canyon region.

PUSH ON, GOVERNOR ! !