- August 30, 1923 – Robert Moses to JSA
Dear Mr. Apperson:
You have no doubt received the letter which I wrote to the Secretary of the Lake George Association. I received a note from him this morning regretting that I could not attend the meeting and saying “will appreciate a letter… regarding the incorporation of Lake George in the Adirondack preserve.” Of course, my letter is not upon this specific point, because there is no such question to write about. You ought to make this perfectly clear to the Lake George people, namely; that Lake George is already in the forest preserve counties, that the state owns land in the Lake George region already, that there is nothing to prevent the purchase of additional lands when funds are available, and that such additional land is just as much a part of the forest preserve and just as much subject to the provisions of Article VII Section 7 of the Constitution as the land in the forest preserve counties within the blue line. There is, therefore, no question whatever about the incorporation of Lake George in the Adirondack preserve. Practically the only effect which the extension of the blue line would have would be to make clear the fact that it was within the proposed purchase area contemplated by the 1916 bond issue (which is practically exhausted) and to make any lumbering or other restrictions which applied within the present blue line apply also to the Lake George district. Theoretically, the blue line represents the area within which future purchases are to be made but practically this means almost nothing, because the state already owns land within the blue line, and Lake George which are part of the forest preserve and could buy adjacent property at any time.
I might add that so far as our Association is concerned there is no likelihood that we will do anything about the blue line bill next year. We can get along perfectly well with our program without it, although, of course, the sensible thing to do is to give the blue line a real meaning by including within it all the territory contemplated for future purchases. ..If the blue line stands as indefinitely as it does now it is more and more of a joke and will be more and more ignored in making purchases in the forest preserve.
Cordially yours,
Robert Moses