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If one enjoys camping the State Parks of Housatonic Meadows and Macedonia Brook offer definitely the best locations in Connecticut. It is a miracle these prized locations have been selectively chosen and reserved as ALCOHOL FREE !!!! [ Update 2000-- this was such a success now all Parks are alcohol free !!!]
Let those that stink camp where it stinks !!! (I really mean no offense) The great victory came several years ago as Park Management came under control of fellow ones that abhor Alcohol. Through concentrated enforcement and reports of 'problems' (i.e. write up a million violations !!!) the State was convinced these Parks truly has a problem and that alcohol must be banned.
One can truly bless the management because with low budgets these two Parks really have not much of any staff except one 'or few' persons.
As such the banning of alcohol eliminated any need for any work to control the occasional drinker that had a little 'too much'.
Now these Parks sit pure and clean devoid of drinkers and really no problems.
Fellow AA members and MADD members at last have a refuge !!!!
I recall as little as three years ago in a conversation with State Police Headquarters in NW Connecticut it was quoted: 'We rarely have any problems at Macedonia Brook or Housatonic Meadows'..'It's about always peaceful there'..(with the drinkers ?)
I will try to ramble a little about some personal experiences with the area from the 1950's through the present times. Of the last couple of years it truly is a beuty of solitude with few campers and mostly abandoned except the company of a few fellow AA members..MADD, etc. In fact during the weeks vs. weekends one might find themselves the only person there with the bears wandering around and coyotes eating your food and 'big cats' sneaking around. What a miracle !! I must admit the pleasure has it's negatives as some drinkers don't seem to get the message. The alcohol ban is strictly enforced with instant fines and expulsion if not imprisonment. Everybody is watched with long distance viewing and infared is used at night. When I say 'negatives' I don't enjoy trying to seek mental tranquility living amongst people being carted off to jail and infared watching me in my tent or trailer, etc. at night !!!!
Privacy ?? The big problem is the fact virtually all states have alcohol bans at campgrounds but never enforce it unless it is really necessary.
If a person 'minds their own business' they will not be bothered in relation to alcohol consumption. The exception wonderfully are a few Parks in Massachusetts that now through funding from fellow AA members, MADD, etc. are beginning to enforce the alcohol ban. -- and again..some of the finest parks in Massachusetts are now reserved for only the 'non-drinker'.
No more stinky drinkers !!!! These parks are alcohol free and reserved for non-drinkers. YES...Taxes support us....
From: Mass.Parks@state.ma.us
(Parks-DEM, Mass ( Mass Parks)
Date: Mon, Mar 1, 1999, 5:36pm (EDT-1) To: webmaster@
Subject: re: prohibition
You are correct that we do not allow alcohol in the state forests and parks. To my knowledge, we are not checking trunks upon check in but if a situation arises where campers are blatantly drinking alcohol, then our park staff or park rangers will take action. Again, to my knowledge, we have not been overly aggressive in chastising our visitors for having a beer or a glass of wine with dinner at their immediate campsite as long as it is not conspicuous. This policy is in place to avoid the excessive consumption of alcohol that has occurred for years at our campgrounds. To curb this behavior, which was driving away families from staying in our campgrounds, we had to ban it. This has been a policy for a few years now and we have found it to work very well in ensuring that ALL campers have a good experience in our state forests and parks campgrounds and that one or two rowdy parties do not spoil it for the rest of the campers.
Thank you for your comments.
The author here when younger..or a little kid used to camp here...back in the 1950's. I must have wandered every inch of ground, forest, mountain in NW Connecticut. I must have observed virtually every plant or tree. The area is still a vast area of undeveloped lands especially 'mountain areas'. If you wander 'off trail' there are odds you might be walking ground nobody has walked in 100 years. As noted..We camped and wandered about every inch of these NW Connecticut areas. I could never figure out my behaviors here but maybe it's my association with the Schaghticoke Indians. (a State recognized Indian Tribe in NW Connecticut) The Macedonia Brook area are lands of the Schaghticoke Indian and a State Reservation still exists south of Macedonia Brook State Park. Through dis-organization the tribe has yet to gain Federal Recognition but of the few Connecticut Tribes this has to be the most legitimate. (vs. mixed up politically created tribes where Indian heritage means your grandfather was 3% Indian, etc. -- or .0001% ??)
