Martin Schwalbaum(Your Adirondack Guide.) "FOURPEAKS" Stonehouse Road JAY NY 12941 Phone 518-524-6726 or CLICK HERE for Toll-free calling any time. Dear Visitor,
Martin Schwalbaum 
 (L. ro R.) (1) CLICK HERE for me and Maggie on school break in San Francisco. (2) CLICK HERE for Road Trips with George. A Gentleman's Travel Notes. (3) CLICK HERE for George (your Fourpeaks Canine Host) at home, at work and just playing. (4) CLICK HERE for Adirondack Summer: Becky and Me Exploring Taylor Pond and more. 8 pages with over 100 photos! (5) Let's take a hike! Join me for a private nature experience with exceptional views! (That's me on Blueberry Hill.) (6) Meet Murray and Iza.They will some day operate the rental business and care for the Fourpeaks property into the future. And a few appreciative Guest Notes concerning my hosting talents. #1083 "Thanks Martin for the wonderful time - you are the greatest host . . . ." #1846 "and you were the perfect host - friendly, available but not intrusive . . ." #0020 "Only a nut like you would build a camp on that ridge . . ." "Are you working on those memoirs yet?" (An Email Exchange.) 
Website awards (you all must know) are something of an Internet gimmick. What website hasn't got a bunch of awards? Here's ours. The IRED.com award is as close as one gets to a real commendation. We're really impressed to be grouped along with some of the other Spotlight Prime Location awardees. CLICK HERE for links to the exceptionally attractive and informative worldwide webpages at IRED.com. Thank you Betty Swann and IRED reviewers for this coveted award!
Member Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau #1083 "Thanks Martin for the wonderful time - you are the greatest host . . . ." Subject: Guestbook Entry Date: 10/23/2003 - 12:30 AM Name: Karen I*** & Frances T**** Email: kareni****@hotmail.com Location: NY, NY, Comments: Wolf's Nest will always seem like a home away from home to us. we were only there a few days but it was so restful and serene and inviting that it felt like our own secret place. and there was even a pump shower! what fun! we also spent one night at Gypsy, which was beautiful...Mars was at its closest point ever and we watched it all night as it traversed the sky. it is incredible to know that such a special place exists only 5 hours from Manhattan. thanks Martin for the wonderful time - you are the greatest host. xoxo k & f #1846 "and you were the perfect host - friendly, available but not intrusive . . ." Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 From: linda g*** lg****@cd101.emmis.com To: VisitUs@4peaks.com we just wanted to tell you that the three of us enjoyed ourselves enormously at fourpeaks - we did everything we wanted, we hiked, we slept, we played in the grass, we relaxed, we enjoyed new barn and you were the perfect host - friendly, available but not intrusive...we will definitely return...thank you for a great experience - you are blessed to live in a beautiful area...it was hard coming back to the city noises and pollution - oh well - see you soon #0020"Only a nut like you would build a camp on that ridge . . ." Subject: Hello Martin Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 From: PaulG***@aol.com To: VisitUs@4peaks.com Dear Martin, I meant to write soonerbut I've been pretty busy. We all had a good time at Ridge Camp last weekend. We stopped at Camp Barn to say goodbye, but you weren't home. Only a nut like you would build a camp on that ridge and only nuts like my friends and I would backpack on snowshoes up to that ridge. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, it forces you to appreciate the things that you really need to have more appreciation for and makes you stop worrying about things that really aren't important. The River Story was very good, thanks. Keep in touch. Paul H***  More about this. (Keep reading.)Subject: Re: Thanks Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 From: PaulG***@aol.com To: VisitUs@4peaks.com Martin, I don't think Bill has an e-mail address but I will definitely pass your regards. Bill & I also enjoyed our visit with you, I've been wanting to do something like that with you for a while. There's nothing better that a few drinks and a stimulating conversation. I'll be in touch, Paul For webpage visitors (and potential guests) who are not "onto" Ecotourism, and it is in fact relatively new coinage, here is some help(from Wikopedia, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism): Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals. Generally speaking, ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet. It typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for the local communities. Criteria According to the definition and principles of ecotourism established by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in 1990, ecotourism is "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990). Those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles: Ideally, ecotourism should satisfy several criteria, such as: For many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment but is a major industry of the national economy. For example, in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar, and Antarctica, ecotourism represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product and economic activity. The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood, and in practice is often used as a marketing tool to promote tourism which is related to nature. This is an especially frequent malpractice in the realm of Jungle tourism. Critics claim that these greenwashing practices carried out in the name of ecotourism often consist of placing a hotel in a splendid landscape, to the detriment of the ecosystem. According to them, ecotourism must above all sensitize people to the beauty and the fragility of nature. They condemn some operators as greenwashing their operations: using the labels of "green" and "eco-friendly”, while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways. Although academics disagree about who can be classified as an ecotourist[6] and there is precious little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists - the majority of the ecotourist population - come from the United States, with others from Western Europe, Canada, and Australia. Currently there are various moves to create national and international ecotourism accreditaion programs[7], although the process is also controversial. National ecotourism certification programs have been put in place in countries such as Costa Rica, Australia, Kenya and Sweden. History Ecotourism, responsible tourism, jungle tourism and sustainable development have become prevalent concepts since the late 1980s, and ecotourism has experienced arguably the fastest growth of all sub-sectors in the tourism industry. The popularity represents a change in tourist perceptions, increased environmental awareness, and a desire to explore natural environments. Such changes have become as much a statement affirming one's social identity, educational sophistication, and disposable income as it has about preserving the Amazon rainforest or the Caribbean reef for posterity. Like anything else in our modern human experience, Ecotourism has it's shady side, commercialization, exploitation
and just plain more of ruining our little planet. Look at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism to hear about Ecotourism criticism, Greenwashing, the negative impact of tourism, some direct environmental impacts, environmental hazards, the displacement of people, threats to indigenous cultures, mismanagement, tour operators, travel agencies and retailers and more on the negative side of Ecotourism. (Here at Fourpeaks I offer the good side of it--just you, your dog, your lover, your family, and a pretty cabin to share some time together in a natural place.)
"Are you working on those memoirs yet?" (An Email Exchange.)
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