In another thread, egilbe posts an image that appears to show a great number of people treading, sitting and lying on alpine vegetation. It does not have sufficient resolution for me to see whether cinquefoil is among the plants being damaged. If, as is claimed, A-T users are camping unlawfully away from established sites, it would not astonish me that they should disturb Bicknell's Thrush nest sites, except for the bird's preference for dense balsam-and-spruce thickets that offer few good sites to camp. Protection of Bicknell's Thrush is the ostensible reason that New York State bans camping above 3500 feet elevation from March to December. My understanding is that acid rain, the spruce budworm, and the retreat of the subalpine forest in the face of climate change are far greater threats than human incursion. In any case, I account myself fortunate to have heard its weird fluting on the very mountain where Eugene Bicknell discovered it.
The narrative in question is being advanced by the appointed representatives of the landowners. Those challenging it are would-be interlopers, at best tolerated trespassers, surely no longer welcome guests. Who may be presumed to have better information about the needs of the land? Who may be presumed to be better able to safeguard its best interests? Those entrusted with its care by the people of Maine, its owners, or those who simply are arguing for the unearned privilege of waltzing in unnanounced and doing more or less as they please?
The story may be a false one, but the burden of proof on those who would challenge it is surely very heavy.