FRANKENPINE MEETS
HYDE
Adirondack Council Urges Art & Nature Lovers To See American
Masterpiece Paintings Of Lake George Before Fake Pine Tree Can
Change Landscape Forever
For more information:
John F. Sheehan, Communications Director
518-432-1770 (w)
518-441-1340 (cell)
Released, Monday, June 27, 2005
GLENS FALLS, NY -- The Adirondack
Council today urged the public and the Adirondack Park Agency's
Board of Commissioners to visit the Hyde Collection art museum
here and the Hancock House in Ticonderoga to see how the undeveloped
eastern slopes of the Lake George basin have inspired some of
America's greatest artists.
On July 7 and 8, the APA Commissioners will vote on the fate
of a proposed 104-foot-tall fake pine tree cell tower - or Frankenpine
- proposed by Nextel Partners and Sprint IWO for the slope above
the Pilot Knob peninsula.
"Come see America's Mona Lisa before Nextel and Sprint paint
a mustache on her," said Adirondack Council Executive Director
Brian L. Houseal. "The Hyde Collection has assembled a large
and breathtakingly beautiful exhibit of Lake George art by the
masters of the romantic Hudson River School of Art. Anyone who
wonders why we and the art community were so upset about the
idea of a steel and plastic fake pine tree cell tower on Pilot
Knob will understand within five minutes of walking in the door."
The exhibit "Painting Lake George, 1774-1900" will
be open at the Hyde Collection's Charles R. Wood gallery, Warren
Street, Glens Falls, through Sept. 11. It includes the museum's
own impressive collection, plus 45 paintings on loan from major
museums, galleries and private collections, as well as a small
selection of prints, photographs and archival documents. (Call
518-792-1761 for more information).
The Hancock House in Ticonderoga, at the northern end of Lake
George, features an exhibit of a dozen 19th Century Lake George
paintings by Hudson River School artists, many of which are being
offered for sale. That show runs through July 31.
"Public interest in the Hudson River School of Art has blossomed
lately," Houseal said. "It seems to stem from the state's
decision to reject the proposed St. Lawrence cement plant, which
would have spoiled the view from the homestead of painter Frederick
Church, plus the publicity over the proposed Nextel Frankenpine
on Lake George. We can only encourage people to get out and see
these cultural treasures and really understand what is at stake.
"The east basin of Lake George has been an inspiration to
artists for centuries," he said. "It should continue
to be an inspiration for generations to come."
The Adirondack Council is working with local partners (PROTECT,
Lake George Waterkeeper, the Town of Fort Ann and RCPA) to persuade
the Adirondack Park Agency to reject the proposed Frankenpine
tower. The Council has found four viable alternative locations
for Nextel/Sprint equipment that would serve Bolton Landing as
well or better than the proposed tower. All of the alternatives
are located on existing buildings, where they would be virtually
invisible.
The Council believes that wireless communications (cell phones,
emergency first response radio systems, etc.) can be made available
along state highways and in communities throughout the Park by
placing equipment on existing structures and along roadsides.
Stand-alone towers in pristine locations are not needed and cause
permanent harm to the Park's wild character.
"This is the first real test of the Park Agency's policy
against towers that are visible above the treetops," Houseal
explained. "If the Frankenpine tower is approved, then the
policy is worthless. If the permit is denied, we have some hope
that cell phone companies won't be allowed to destroy the Park's
landscapes by planting towers-in-tree-costumes all over them."
The Adirondack Council's mission is to ensure the ecological
integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. Founded
in 1975, the Council is a privately funded not-for-profit organization
with 18,000 members. The Council carries out its missions through
research, education, advocacy and legal action.
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