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another comment on Acadia



From: "Bobbye Winterberg" <bobbye@iglou.com>
To: "Pam Johnson" <pam-john@ma.ultranet.com>
Subject: Re: Acadia-Wildwood Stables
Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 07:33:23 -0400
X-Priority: 3

Pam,
I talk to Ed and he said it was fine to forward my answer to your concerns. You also may post Ed's most current statement:




A Comment by Ed Winterberg, Manager at Acadia's Wildwood Stables since 1986
Issued May 21, 2000


The abrupt decision to close Acadia's Wildwood Stables and cancel my permit
on the basis that the Park Service should have formally approved a business
change ten years ago, is being appealed. I simply transferred it "from me
to me" with no change in management or financing. In such cases, the
regulations don't require formal approval. Locally, everyone obviously knew
that I personally managed and financed Wildwood. However, neither Local
Park management nor I ever insisted that the Philadelphia office change the
name on their records. An embarrassing mutual but harmless mistake.

The park service and the concession are both at Acadia to serve park
visitors. I personally regret that our informality has caused so much
disruption for everyone. I am still deeply concerned that it may yet be
the end of the dream which Mr. Rockefeller started eighty years ago, and so
many of you helped us to rekindle and celebrate over the past decade.

Unfortunately, it is necessary to counter some intentional misinformation
being circulated on the Internet by those who politically oppose what we
have been trying to build and institutionalize at Acadia. Therefore, I want
everyone to know that Wildwood has always been given the highest possible
ratings and evaluations for compliance with the terms of the permit, by five
different Superintendents. Wildwood was always been fully insured and
Wildwood's visitor safety and visitor satisfaction record has always been
excellent.

When existing services in National Parks are interrupted, for any reason, it
is legally possible for the Director in Washington to grant a temporary
authorization to a "qualified person " to provide those interrupted services
for a limited time. Accordingly, I have personally asked Director Stanton
to issue me a temporary permit to provide services at Wildwood, until
October 10th. Thereafter, the Park Service will proceed with its long
standing plans to solicit offers nationally from anyone interested in
financing and managing concession services at Wildwood.

Finally a press release issued recently by Acadia in response to horse
owners' widespread suspicion and outrage said, "the park's carriage roads
are still open to those who want to trailer their horse in for day use".
True, but the simple fact is there are no other public overnight stables
with access to the carriage roads. Day use is fine, but it serves a very
small element. Overnight stabling with carriage road access is essential
for everyone else, including many who only once in a lifetime, want to bring
a horse to their National Park and ride or drive the finest system of
purposefully created horse roads in America.

Ed Winterberg
<mailto:carriages@wildwood.acadia.net>carriages@wildwood.acadia.net


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