Allegany State Park is a natural treasure, home to flora and fauna unique not only to New York but to the United States. The park’s rich soils support an exceptionally diverse ecosystem, including magnificent hardwood forests that have flourished for a century or more.

Allegany’s 67,000 acres provide abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation in close proximity to Buffalo and Rochester and offer the region’s children a chance to connect to the natural world. The park is also a valuable asset to the state’s tourism economy, providing visitors with a near wilderness experience that is often more accessible than the distant lands of the Adirondacks and Catskills. For thousands of Adirondack Mountain Club members in Western New York, Allegany State Park is their Adirondacks.

The club believes Allegany State Park deserves environmental protections similar to those afforded the Adirondack and Catskill parks. Because of its incomparable beauty and unique ecological resources, Allegany qualifies for enhanced protection under Article 20 of the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law. With the threat of new gas and oil exploration in the park, it will also take a firm commitment from state officials to protect Allegany.

Any new gas wells are likely to be much more environmentally disruptive than older wells in the park. Hydraulic fracturing, or hydro-fracking, is the preferred method for modern gas extraction and would almost certainly be used in Allegany State Park. Hydro-fracking uses large amounts of water; as much as 1 million gallons would be trucked into each well site, and a network of new roads would be needed to accommodate the truck traffic.

To get a sense of the environmental impact of these operations, take a drive along some of the “scenic” byways in Allegheny National Forest just south of the state line. Is this the future we want for Allegany State Park?

Fortunately, Allegany State Park has a dedicated advocate in Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. Now is the time for other state leaders to step up to the plate. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo should exhaustively review all claims to subsurface mineral rights in the park to ensure they are legitimate.Gov. David Paterson should join with Parks Commissioner Carol Ash and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis in requiring the most rigorous environmental review and permitting process for any energy projects in Allegany.

Because of the park’s ecological sensitivity, a full environmental impact statement, as provided for in state law, should be required before the first exploratory well is dug. Anyone asserting a right to drill in the park should be required to reveal all aspects of the proposed project, including the planned extraction method.

These state agencies have the authority to do this. They also have a duty to do so for the sake of current and future residents of Western New York.

Neil F. Woodworth is executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club.