Data_Sheet_1_Anything but a Walk in the Park: Framing Analysis of the Adirondack State Park Land Classification Conflict.docx

State and national park land management is rife with conflict, be it either over how land is managed within the park or how it affects adjacent private lands. The Adirondack Park in upstate New York is an especially interesting case due to its unique mix of public and private lands within the boundaries of the park, often referred to as the Blue Line. A recent land acquisition by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the resultant land classification process is the most recent conflict in the region in a long line of land use/land designation conflicts. In the wake of recent attempts for greater collaboration, we explored this conflict by conducting a framing analysis of both stakeholders' online presence (i.e., websites and blogs) and local news media coverage of the classification process. Primary stakeholders included local town residents, sportsmen groups, NYSDEC, Adirondack Park Agency, local government, and environmental groups. We found that stakeholder groups' online materials utilized frames to describe their objectives based on different values. Dominant frames included a “reasonable access” frame used by residents and town officials to highlight rights to accessible use. Environmental groups heavily used an “environmental protection” frame, highlighting the ecologically important wetlands and opportunity to increase lands designated as “Wilderness.” In news media articles, the dominant frame was the “conflict frame,” portraying the decision-making process as riddled with tension and incompatibility. These frames indicate that the conflict over land classification stems from different values of accessibility and strong wilderness protection as well as being communicated as intractable by the media.

国家公园与州立公园的土地管理向来多有冲突，此类冲突既涉及公园内部的土地管理方式，也关乎其对周边私有土地的影响。位于纽约州北部的阿迪朗达克公园（Adirondack Park）便是极具代表性的典型案例：其园区边界（常被称为蓝线（Blue Line））内兼具公共与私有土地，这种独特的土地权属混合模式使其极具研究价值。纽约州环境保护部（NYSDEC）近期开展的土地收购及其后续的土地分类流程，正是该地区一系列土地使用/土地定名冲突中的最新一例。在近期多方尝试加强协作的背景下，本研究通过对利益相关方的线上平台（即网站与博客）以及当地新闻媒体对该分类流程的报道开展框架分析（framing analysis），对此次冲突展开了探究。本次研究涉及的主要利益相关方包括当地城镇居民、户外运动团体、NYSDEC、阿迪朗达克公园管理局、地方政府以及环保组织。研究发现，各利益相关方的线上宣传材料均基于各自的核心价值取向，采用不同框架阐释其诉求：居民与城镇官员主导采用“合理使用（reasonable access）”框架，以强调公众享有可及性使用的权利；环保组织则大量使用“环境保护（environmental protection）”框架，着重强调该区域具有生态重要性的湿地，以及扩大“荒野用地（Wilderness）”划定范围的契机。而在新闻媒体报道中，占主导地位的则是“冲突框架（conflict frame）”，将决策过程描绘为充满紧张对立与不可调和矛盾的状态。上述框架表明，此次土地分类冲突的根源在于各方在土地可及性与严格荒野保护两种价值取向上的根本分歧，同时媒体也将该冲突渲染为难以调和的僵局。