Troy Meadows Common Trust or Real Estate?

The Good of the Nation verses private Property Rights. Troy Meadows

  Land as a common trust and natural resource, or land as a commodity, private property rights.

We have here now in Parsippany a strange situation involving Troy Meadows a National Natural Landmark, both privately and publically owned. This arrangement is in addition to Troy Meadows being included in a “voluntary” National Park System of outstanding natural landscapes existing on the name.

 National Natural Landmarks are selected for their outstanding condition, illustrative value, rarity, diversity, and value to science and education. Sites are designated by the Secretary of the Interior, with landowner concurrence, and to-date, nearly 600 landmarks have received the NNL designation within the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The National Park Service administers the program, reports on the condition of the NNLs, acts as an advocate for the protection of designated sites, and raises public awareness of our Nation's natural heritage. Ongoing partnerships with public and private landmark owners allow participants to share information, solve problems cooperatively, and conserve outstanding sites that illustrate the rich and diverse tapestry of the country's natural landscape.

  So now why is Parsippany with the intention of protecting this resource in conflict with the private group of landowners which allow the National Natural Landmark program? It is a matter of our societies many contradictions. The concept of private property itself, negates the very intentions of preservation and recognition of natural wonders, but degrading them into Block, Lots for potential sales or living space that may or may not cause negative impacts to the original landscapes beyond which they will lose their inherit beauty or outstanding features. Now we depend not on the “common” but on the individual property owner to maintain the covenant with the land.

  A Troy Meadows preservation lie mainly in it’s inherit features as a wetland, which naturally impedes development, and are since 1987 protected by legislation of the State of New Jersey. Many property owners saw this as the beginning of their property values being diminished by nature and science in environmental land use laws and regulations. Land suitable for development is zoned more in value. So now we have a landed gentry upset because of a common good for all. This landed gentry originally got this land for virtually nothing, all the way back to its seizure from the original people, who simply utilized the resources to support their culture and life. Indigenous society had no concept of property, for how can one own creation, its inherit gifts and bounty?  Society can and did exist without property. Land; creation belonged to all. Most conflict and war involves seizure of land as property to extract its resources for profit and make natives, tenants, surfs, slaves or labor force and surplus; placing the property owner above the rest of society in the name of civilization.

  Nothing is perfect? Wrong many things in nature are just that. It is man and his free will that spoils perfection, however this so called thing called civilization or history allows us to learn, through this process to improve. Democracy would be the evolution of humanity through its mistakes. Taking the good of lessons learned in history and getting rid of the bad. A Republic of elites must work toward this goal of democracy to improve the lives of its citizens, all not some. Property itself the first thief impeded this process. United States of Landed gentry and Oligarchs or United States of Common good and respect for the land and beauty of the Nation. Troy Meadows is an opportunity now to join Nation, State and Local Communities in a common goal to preserve a Landscape, which brings us together linked organically to the fiber of this long overdue cooperation in preserving our National Natural Landmark; Troy Meadows. If the ultimate goal is private profit in market value than the agreement between parties has failed in the name of private over public good. Is the American experiment a failure?  The land is the Nation and how we treat it reflects the results of our alleged culture of civilization.

  Wildlife Preserve fought battles they could not win, the gas and electric public utilities and the Interstate Highway system. It would have been great if this small group could have changed our world for the better. They could not nor did they receive any help from the forces of progressive and development. What now threatens these lands? Nothing  The proposed pilgrim pipeline is not a public utility and cannot claim eminent domain.

  Troy Meadows must remain as is, and may very well not require any rezoning by the town.  In God we Trust, can we trust each other? Let the land bring us closer. America the Beautiful is just a song; look at what is happening and has happened. Troy Meadows Private owners’ threat to sell their land if necessary to prevent the rezoning back to preservation is alarming and disturbing, but somewhat understandable; however this issue is beyond the value of money or is it?