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Recreation development is not an all or nothing proposition, There are numerous levels of public investment, private investment, and combinations of the two which may be combined for recreation development. In order to make knowledgeable decisions concerning which is the best level of development for the people in each town, the people of the county, the people of the Champlain Basin, citizens of the State, and tourists of the Northeast, it is necessary to consider separately at least three different levels of development. The three possible levels of development of the right of way may be called (1) conventional, (2) cluster or "string of pearls," and (3) comprehensive or superpark. Let us discuss each.
Conventional recreation development is the lowest level of development in terms of public investment and private investment. It is also lowest in terms of public returns in increased tax base, and private returns in increased jobs and income. It may be defined as a continuation of the rate of recreation development which Vermont has followed in the past few years. This would consist of developing, for recreation purposes, those areas where the railroad right of way actually touches the shoreline.
Conventional development of recreation along the right of way would consist of developments at the following points where· the railroad runs close to the lake: (1) Colchester Point, (2) Allen Point, (3) Bow Arrow Point in Grand Isle (a fishing access), (4) South Alburg, and (5) East Alburg to Rouses Point crossing.
Conventional level of development has the advantage of being the level of development which can be engaged in easily without any significant expansion in present rates of financing, personnel, planning, management, or recreation development concepts. It has the disadvantage in that it would not lead to significant economic development of the region, it would not stimulate significant private development investments, and. it would fall far short of meeting the present and potential demand of recreation facilities of which the resources under study are capable. (For further details concerning possible conventional level of recreation development the reader is referred to the planning program of the Department of Forests and Parks and policy statements by the Board of Forest and Parks. The purpose of this report is not to duplicate analyses of that department, but to suggest alternative levels of development.)
Some of the limitations of the conventional development would be inadequate provision of day-use facilities, camping grounds of a size that is inadequate for most efficient operation and inadequate with reference to present and future demands, and a complete absence of a host of recreation facilities, such as scenic overlooks, multiple-purpose water access, picnic areas with sanitary facilities, scenic drives, bikeways, hiking trails, equestrian trails, etc.
The railroad right of way provides an ideal setup for a so-called "string of pearls" development. This is a higher level of development than conventional development and would consist of greater public investments. It would induce larger private investments, and would lead to higher tax returns, as well, as more jobs and higher income in the region.
A short definition of this concept is that it would consist of a string of multiple-use recreation areas tied together by a green belt pathway, This would provide many recreationists (hikers, bikers, horseback riders, nature lovers, photographic hobbists, and people exercising or relaxing) with a throughway connecting the recreation areas.
The cost of developing a string of recreation areas tied together by a pathway would be low because of the federal subsidies available. It would be easily within the scope of recently expanded state appropriations for recreation development coupled with the new federal assistance. The advantages of the string of pearls plan are:
(1) It could be carried out with minimal cost, because of the facts of the present ownership of the railroad right of way by the state and the federal subsidies available for purchase planning and development.
(2) It would lead to further and much more intensive private investment· for recreation facilities motels, restaurants, resorts, marinas, etc.
(3) It would begin to become regionally known and start to attract tourists to the pathway as well, as to the region and the state.
The disadvantages of developing a string of pearls are that it would require new concepts in recreation development, the introduction of new management principles and policies, and, most difficult of all, coordination among the several state agencies concerned in various ways with resource development and management.
Chapter IV provides details of the authors' suggestions for this level of development.
The third and highest potential level of recreation development would be to make the whole of the county, plus Colchester arid some of the Franklin County and New York shores, into one huge park area. This does not mean actual public purchase, To achieve development of a superpark would not require public purchases of any more than 7 percent of the total land area, Second, it must be pointed out immediately that the superpark development does not mean exclusive federal development, nor exclusive state development, If we take the Cape Cod National Seashore or Acadia National Park as examples we will see that superparks may be developed on the basis of a relatively small proportion of publicly-owned land with a relatively large proportion of private investment for tourists and profit-oriented recreation facilities.
A short definition of a comprehensive development may be provided by stating that it would consist of the string of pearls development, plus full development of all the land, water, and scenic resources of the area to provide recreation and tourist attractions. This would include large-scale parks with interpretative programs, scenic roads and overlooks, a marine museum, aquarium, self-guided nature trails along the right of way, day-use areas, picnic areas, and multiple-purpose public access to both scenery and water. It would also involve a park commission authority which would zone land and water use; control signs; promote, foster, and safeguard scenery and natural attributes; and develop an attractive park-like atmosphere for the county.
The principle difference between comprehensive development and the string of pearls development is a difference in scale and also the fact that the comprehensive development would require a special authority or commission to develop and manage the park attributes and facilities in the region. It would also require area zoning, area planning, and an effective coordination of all programs of state resource departments as well. as federal departments (Table 8).
The advantages of comprehensive recreation development of the area are that it would stimulate the highest amount of private investment in tourist and recreation facilities and would lead to the greatest increase in the tax base in jobs, income, and regional economic development.
Table 8. Alternative Levels of Public Recreation Development of the Railroad Right of way and Surrounding Area
| Item | Conventional development |
"String of pearls" | Comprehensive Superpark |
| Lake frontage necessary (feet) | 4,610 | 49,019 | 71,280 |
| Percentage of total shoreline | Less than 1 percent |
Less than 7 percent |
l0 percent |
| Estimated necessary public investment |
Same level as recent years |
Accelerated rate provided by new federal programs |
Long range program |
| Probable induced private investment |
Insignificant | Significant | Large scale |
| Development agency | Present state agencies |
Regional park commission |
Regional park commission |
| Effect on regional economy | Slight | Significant | Will raise level of whole area |
| Number of major recreation sites |
5 | 12 | 15 |
| Types of facilities | Campgrounds | Champlain pathway, campgrounds, water access, day-use areas |
Champlain pathway campgrounds, water access, day-use areas, scenic roads and lookouts, interpretative program, museums, aquarium, nature trails |
A superpark would also receive national attention and start to draw several times the present number of tourists to the region and to the state. All cities and recreation businesses in the state would profit significantly by the existence of a nationally recognized park in this area. The basis for these statements consist of a study of the economic developments which have resulted recently from the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The disadvantages or obstacles in developing a superpark are that many people in the area and in the state are unacquainted with this concept and so a considerable education campaign would have to take place before it could be implemented. Second, a superpark would require a greater public investment than is now planned even in the stepped-up plans to participate in the BOR development program. It would also require new legislation to set up the planning and development of a park commission to provide for regional and scenic zoning, and to provide for close, effective cooperation among the state natural resource agencies.
