When does "preserving" something ruin it?
Had a fantastic trip up to the San Juans over the weekend. Taken my boat up there many times and one of the things we always try to include is a trip the lighthouse on Patos Island. Patos is the most Northwestern Island in the San Juans and is accessibly only by private boat. The first year we hiked to the lighthouse, we had to navigate a hidden path so overgrown you could hardly find your way. We passed an old ramshackle house and finally found our way to the old boarded up lighthouse.
This time, it was completely different. The path had been cleared, the lighthouse painted and instead of the remote feeling we anticipated, there was a work party weed wacking and a lady in the lighthouse selling t-shirts. Really! She was part of a lighthouse society walightkeepers.com that had "renovated" the lighthouse and wanted donations.
We had mixed feelings to say the least. On the one hand, I guess it nice to see the lighthouse preserved and I'm sure this was all good work done by volunteers with noble intentions who cared. On the other hand, they, with their good deeds, had unintentionally took away a good portion of the adventure of discovery for us and future visitors.
Did they do a good thing? In my opinion, not necessarily.
What is the lesson here for how we should "care" for the environment?
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