Decline of Green Spaces

I was shocked to read in the NY Times that the Nature Conservancy (whose mission is to preserve plants, animals, natural communities and to protect land and water) is logging on its newly purchased 161,000 acres of Adirondack wild lands. Touted as a modern deal, logging and selling parts of the land to the state and private developers are part of the $110 million plan. Executive Director Micheal T. Carr claims "there is enough room for everyone".

Have you noticed that the drive from any major city in America has become longer in the effort to find a pristine piece of nature to commune with? I was shocked to discover in my travels that the US is regarded for its wealth of natural beauty. An Australian was in love with the fall colors of New England and was sent on the special pilgrimage to feast in the beauty. Fun loving Germans were driving from San Francisco to Texas to hike the canyons of the southwest, deserts of the south and the Pacific beaches of the West. Will this remain true as land becomes more developed for business and housing purposes? Forests continue to be logged despite being owned by a nature conservancy? What will be the new brand for the US?