WE’VE WRITTEN many times about the problem with the development of public boat launching areas both on our lakes and here on the Seacoast.

One of the most formidable pressures against development of these boat launches comes from people with a “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) point of view. Nowhere has this NIMBY pressure been any greater than in Fish and Game’s efforts to get final approval of their Wild Goose Access Area on Lake Sunapee.

This proposed access area has seen an incredible amount of stumbling blocks but through sheer perseverance it may finally be done after many years and tens — no, probably hundreds — of thousands of dollars being spent mostly fighting the NIMBY people.

Their last tactic that seemed almost certain to succeed was to shuffle the proposal off to a study committee that would have been stacked with people opposed to the access area. But thanks to many concerned people, this legislative ploy was defeated by a lot of phone calls, letters and other means of contact to members of the Legislature. And a lot of lobbying within and by members of the Legislature because of the pressure brought to bear from their constituency.

In my humble estimation, two people should be especially commended for their impact on the defeat of this certain death move for the Sunapee access. One is Bill Carney, a former Fish and Game commissioner and longtime outdoor writer and sportsmen’s advocate. Bill and I have often been on opposite sides of the fence, especially when it comes to the subject of a saltwater license here. But we’ve nearly always had our arrows pointed in the same direction when it comes to our advocacy of environmental issues and sportsmen’s and gun owners rights, and we’ve been long-term friends, in spite of our often public differences. Bill’s knowledge of the key people in the Legislature had much to do with this defeat of the NIMBYs’ maneuver.

The other person we would like to commend is another longtime friend of mine, Dennis Abbott, who is chairman of the House Fish and Wildlife Committee. His stand for the access and his prowess in the halls of Legislature made a big difference with this Sunapee issue.

And to the both of them I ask a personal favor. Unknown to a lot of people, Bill and Dennis have been on opposite sides of many issues and by doing so at times haven’t done a lot to further good government. With the Sunapee project, however, they both swallowed their pride and former differences and worked together to “get ‘er done.” Now that you both have discovered that you can jointly “move mountains,” wouldn’t it make sense that you continue to work cooperatively for the good of the whole? We certainly hope so.

Now to the NIMBY issue. Jane and I have lived on or adjacent to Great Bay for more than 50 years. We have offered our support to many access proposals right here in our front yard.

One in particular still sticks in my craw, and that was a proposal by Fish and Game to put in a very needed all tide boat access on their Adams Point property, adjacent to the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Marine Laboratory, which is on land generously offered by lease to UNH by the state Fish and Game Department. The project was well on its way when people involved with UNH published a scathing newspaper-like publication with a photo of a boat-filled marina on the front page with a headline screaming FISH AND GAME TO BUILD MARINA AT ADAMS POINT.

Friends, that was a lot more than stretching the truth or taking literary license. The truth of the matter was that this launching and parking area was designed to park no more than a dozen boats with trailers, mostly to service the waterfowl hunters with whose money Fish and Game was able to purchase the Adams Point property.

We wish that Dennis and Bill had been in the position to help out on that one.

For a couple of years after that, duck hunters launching at the very poor landing still available at Adams Pont were greeted with slashed vehicle tires on their return to shore. NIMBY terrorism?

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Dick Pinney’s Guide Lines column appears weekly in the New Hampshire Sunday News. Readers may e-mail him at DoDuckInn@aol.com