It’s time to contact Rob Gilligan, superintendent of Blackwater Falls State Park. Mr. Gilligan is very excited about the pending purchase of Lindy Point and some surrounding acres. He’s fired up to get it into his park and get people going there. As soon as the sale happens (if it happens) he’s ready to move ahead on at least two fronts:

The first front -- signs – not seen as a problem.

The second front -- a viewing platform or deck at Lindy Point, a cause for concern. After all the work and heartache, now that Lindy Point may be about to belong to the people, we need to let him know what we think.

I believe a lot of Lindy Point lovers will be sorely disappointed if they go ahead with already forming plans for a viewing platform or deck. As currently planned, there would be a level wood deck from where the brush opens out almost to the edge of the rock, in the central area. There would be guard rails, plus warning and, I assume, interpretive signs.

The plus of this idea is it gets people there to see what we’ve been screaming about. The minus is this deck would itself disfigure the Lindy Point rocks that are such an integral part of the scene.

We need to let him know we want Lindy Point accessible but not marred.

Please be respectful of Mr. Gilligan when you contact him – he has been very supportive of the effort to save Blackwater Canyon. We can acknowledge his needs: to make Lindy Point available to the public, while making it safe – without agreeing to the plans that have apparently already developed.

The short version: yes, Lindy Point lovers want it accessible to the public via the traditional kind of trail. But it is very doubtful that they would want a large deck or platform that will mar the Lindy Point scene.

(All this may become somewhat moot, at least temporarily. Good old John Crites has pulled another fast one on us – the acreage to be sold and given around Lindy Point does NOT include the trail to Lindy Point. So basic access becomes a problem all over again.)

Rob Gilligan is on WISe. email him at: Rob Gilligan (or Gilligan)