Posted Signs
I absolutely loathe posted signs. I always have. It started when I was a young child, exploring my parents’ cow pasture, gazing longingly into what looked like a fairy tale woodland of trees growing up from moss covered ground. I desperately wanted to go there, just to see if I could find and befriend a magical creature or two... but there were signs hammered with nails into the trees about every ten feet that declared Posted and patrolled. Private property. Trespassers will be prosecuted. Now, at the time I didn’t know the meaning of ‘prosecuted,’ but it sounded dreadfully scary, like if I dared step foot into those beautiful woods, I would be tortured to death or something. So I never ventured onto that forbidden land.
How dreadfully sad it is to forbid anyone from setting foot in another place, just because you ‘own’ the land and can legally forbid access to it. Besides, I don’t understand how anyone can possibly own something so incredibly ancient as land. I understand stewardship, I understand the desire for privacy, but sticking up a bunch of horrible signs that threaten others with the long arm of the law if they dare enter? That’s not stewardship. It’s hardly privacy, either. I call it selfishness. I call it delusional. And I think it’s absolutely bogus.
I own land, quite a bit of it by east coast standards (not by out west standards, where a ‘small’ ranch is 50,000 acres.) ‘My’ land is surrounded by thousands of acres of land ‘owned’ by the people of New York. Public forest land. Land that has thirty miles of public trails looping through it. Some of that trail system crosses my land, because I deeded a trail easement to the state, for free, because people need nature, and crossing my land was the easiest and prettiest way into the forest. I have never posted any of ‘my’ property. And won’t, even though it’s surrounded by all that public land. People cross my land on a daily basis. I bet some of them don’t even know it’s a private in-holding, and I like it that way. Why? Because that is what I believe is right and loving. We don’t own land, it owns us. We are the mayflies in charge of its care-taking for the brief timescale of our lives. That’s it. That’s all. Then we die, and the land crosses into someone else’s stewardship.
A New York State police detective once asked me why I didn’t post. He did post, because he didn’t want people on his land. Not that I blame him; he had experienced the absolute worst humanity can produce. Of course he wanted to avoid people like that coming into his home base. I only wish I could show you a picture of his face when I replied: “Posted signs only keep the good people out.” He knew exactly my point. His signs made sure he only ran into the jerks and the scofflaws. How to reinforce your negative view of humanity, yes? I meet very few unpleasant people on my land. Why? Because good people love the outdoors. Sharing is caring.
The picture I’m running with this story is one that has been up for longer than I have been around. I think whoever added to it makes their point beautifully. What do you think?