Woman Shot By Dart Gun

2 Injured Drivers Cited Following Collision

Sunday, January 05, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Wanted: A plan to keep Valley's ridges green &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Harveys Lake is the biggest natural lake in Pennsylvania, boosters note.
But you'd never know it to look at the thing. Practically every foot of
lakefront has a boathouse on it or a big house behind it, and is held tight in
private handsThe Central Park Reservoir in the heart of Manhattan has a more
natural-looking shoreline than does this lake in the heart of Penn's Woods. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We mention this uncomfortable fact because houses are starting to dot the
ridgetops that overlook the Wyoming Valley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And where Harveys Lake has gone, the Valley's mountainsides could follow.
Unless leaders and residents act now. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The deep forest green of those mountainsides offers one of the purest joys
of Valley life. From almost any point in Kingston or Forty Fort or
Wilkes-Barre, residents need only look up to be reminded of nature and
nature's ways. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The view of the mountains soothes the soul. The woodsy expanse soaks up
stress like a sponge, leaving onlookers energized and a little refreshed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Face it, we're blessed to be bounded by what look like two magnificent
mountain parks. But of course they're not parks at all. (Yet.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And if, over the next 20 years, ranchhouses rip holes in those untrammeled
green carpets, that fact will become starkly and depressingly clear. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Please don't misunderstand. We have nothing against homeowners on Harveys
Lake, or would-be residents eying Bunker Hill behind Swoyersville to build
their own spectacular piece of the American Dream. It's human nature (or, at
least, American nature) to want to reserve a bit of lakefront or ridgetop
paradise for oneself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it's also American nature to want to protect the "commons" -- those
scenic vistas and pristine environments that remain, and that all citizens can
share in and enjoy. The impulse drove the nation to create Yellowstone and
Yosemite and Grand Teton national parks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It should have driven earlier generations of Pennsylvanians to set aside
more of Harveys Lake for parks and preserves. But it didn't. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Let's make sure this impulse drives our own generation to protect the
Wyoming Valley's mountainsides as forest treasures, now and forevermore. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Can this be done? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In West Windsor, N.J., voters have levied a 2-cent property tax on
themselves to bring in about $414,000 a year. The money goes to the West
Windsor land preservation fund, the New York Times reported Dec. 29. From
there it's used to buy undeveloped parcels in West Windsor to preserve open
space for all generations to come. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Basically, the little town just outside of Princeton has dramatically
slowed suburban sprawl. As one resident put it, "Who wants to see asphalt all
over everything?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you're still not convinced, consider this alternate vision of the
future, from a different story in the Dec. 29 New York Times: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Urban Sprawl Strains Western States," the headline reads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "CAREFREE, Ariz. -- The plane dips below the brown cloud and lands in the
urban heart of the American Southwest: hope, commerce and chaos stretched to
the horizon in the Sonoran Desert. Consuming land at a rate of an acre an
hour, metropolitan Phoenix -- and its new frontiers like Carefree -- is now
bigger than Delaware." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Is that what we want? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wanted: A Plan To Keep Valley's Ridges Green 
Harveys Lake Is The Biggest Natural Lake In Pennsylvania, Boosters Note. But 
You'd Never Know It To Look At The Thing. Practically Every Foot Of Lakefront 
Has A Boathouse On It Or A Big House Behind It, And Is Held Tight In Private 
Hands.

Wanted: A Plan To Keep Valley's Ridges Green Harveys Lake Is The Biggest Natural Lake In Pennsylvania, Boosters Note. But You'd Never Know It To Look At The Thing. Practically Every Foot Of Lakefront Has A Boathouse On It Or A Big House Behind It, And Is Held Tight In Private Hands.