CAMPS ARE PROVIDED FOR PUBLIC USE 



SENECA INDIANS PROM NEIGHBORING 

 RESERVATION IN WAR DANCE 



Detailed Statement of Needs 

 We may emphasize these needs by an ontline of their im- 

 portance. 



1. Acquisition of Additional Lands. It has been the ex- 

 perience of all state park projects in New York that the acquisi- 

 tion of land is the most pressing, important duty of the state. 

 This is especially true of the Allegany State Park. Little land 

 has thus far been acquired within the park boundaries. With- 

 out extensive space made available to the public the park will 

 fail to satisfy the purposes for which it has been created. The 

 Allegany State Park is well suited to serve the large population 

 of western New York as a wilderness playground. No other 

 similar area is available. In order to fulfill its purposes, land 

 acquisition by the state must be speedily pushed forward. The 

 land is of greater value for public park purposes than for any 

 other use. If land is acquired at present market prices the state 

 will make an excellent investment. It has been carefully esti- 

 mated that the sum of $1,200,000 made available to the com- 

 mission for land acquisition over a period of seven years will 

 purchase at present prices about 40,000 acres of land. It is 

 conservative to estimate that the same program of land acquisi- 

 tion ten years hence would cost the state at least twice this 

 amount. The reasons for land acquisition in the Allegany State 

 Park may be stated summarily as follows: 



a. The present area acquired is very small. 



b. Present land prices are low. 



c. People are demanding extensive space for public use. 



d. The park purchase area is the only available territory 



for a forest and stream playground for western New 

 York. 



2. A Road and Trail System for the Park Area. After land 

 is acquired by the state in the park purchase area the people 

 must be permitted to circulate freely through it in order to en- 

 joy its use. The Commission has already graded some narrow, 

 rough dirt roads through the public property and, by permis- 

 sion, over some of the privately owned lands. There are no im- 

 proved roads at the present time in the park area. The public 



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