Youths speak about visioning II

Mary Cimmino, Senior, Honesdale H.S.: The Delaware River and its shores are one of the most beautiful parts of our area. It is a picturesque view of what Mother Nature stands for. This is why I think it is so important that it remains as it is, now and in the years to come.

All around us our world is becoming industrialized and built up. It won’t be long before our area becomes like this. I hope that in the future, the Delaware River area will remain as untouched and intact as it is today. It is a reminder to us of how charming and exquisite this area is and how lucky we are to live around such a wonderful part of Pennsylvania. I wish for the generations after us that they will be seeing the same things that we are seeing today.

Christopher K. Sabin, Junior, Damascus Christian Academy: As time and society evolves, so should the elements of our Delaware River Valley Corridor. I believe we should not only make the area more beautiful, but also more visitor-friendly.

As time washes away, so does the beach by the bathing rock in the middle of the Delaware at Skinner’s Falls. I’d like to someday see a warm sandy beach replace the current rock infested shore. In the future, Lou’s Tubes will probably be a thriving business as it always is during the summer, and maybe Lander’s will build a restaurant grill onto their existing building so that sightseers and campers can have a place to eat when they don’t want to cook for themselves.

I believe the nature of the area should remain just as it is—so that generations in the future can view eagles soaring over the valley, butterflies emerging from their cocoons, squirrels jumping from tree to tree, fish and eels serenely swimming up the swift currents of the Delaware River, and deer prancing across fields. And so that our progeny can swim in the natural waters of the Delaware River.

Narrowsburg, New York, the artsy town that it already is, will probably morph into an even more SoHo like town. Main Street, a huge improvement from what it was only a few short years ago, can only improve as time goes on. And as people travel down country roads, I believe that they will be able to see more and more houses and reconstructed ancient barns built in the style that defines the twenty first century: an architecture that fuses nature with the society that man has established.

Audrey Schultheis, 7th grade, Sullivan West: In 20 years I would like to see our river the same as it is today. I enjoy the river, its natural beauty and seeing the wildlife especially the Eagles. I enjoy seeing the great eagles soar over the glistening waters of the great Delaware River. I like to watch how the river flows so calmly and quietly as if it was the wind.

If our wildlife is eventually driven away by malls and fast food restaurants, we will never be able to replace such beautiful and precious things in nature. And we won’t have a productive environment to live and work in. I would hope that in 20 years everything is as beautiful and rural as it is today.

This bi-weekly feature is part of a visioning initiative to engage citizens in a valley-wide discussion about the future of the Upper Delaware River Valley. If you are interested in contributing to this column, email editor@riverreporter.com or call 845/252-7414. For more about visioning, visit upperdelaware.com.