Thanks for alerting me to this. The link you provided has a lot of ways to get your opinion heard; http://wildlebanonhills.org/
Note, the public meeting is not at the park. Draft Plan Open House, Monday, Dec. 16, 5-7 pm Dakota County Western Service Center 14955 Galaxie Ave. W., Apple Valley, MN 55124 (The Open House is NOT at the Lebanon Hills Visitor’s Center) Here is a link to a map. http://goo.gl/maps/jVsZM There is also a Facebook page with a petition, please sign and 'share', www.facebook.com/LebanonHills.WildernessInTheCity Curt Rawn On Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 12:52 AM, G Andersson <gpanders...@msn.com> wrote: > MOU e-mailers and readers: > > > > Some of you have seen this message already. It was sent to a MRVAC group. > It was also sent to the Audubon MN Environmental Issues Committee. > Yesterday I forwarded it to fellow members of the MOU Conservation > Committee. This is urgent because the public meeting with the Dakota Co > Park > Board is Monday night (tonight). There is a public comment period that > ends > January 18. > > > > Lebanon Hills is one of the best birding areas left in the south metro > area. > This plan by the Dakota Co Park Board will further fragment the habitat at > Lebanon Hills Park in addition to removing many trees. They intend to add > 6.5 miles of paved "trails" to the park that would allow more bikers and > bladers to use the park with hikers, runners, birders, and skiers. This > park > is the most visited in Dakota Co now. Many of those 6.5 miles will be a > direct subtraction from the natural habitat that remains in the park. This > will result in more large and permanent changes to the landscape and it > will > destroy a large part of this park for use by birds. > > It is interesting to read the excerpts from previous plans by previous > boards about Lebanon Hills. The clear purpose was to preserve natural > values in this remnant. About 75 % of this spending plan is for > "development" and 25% for "ecological stewardship." > > > > I intend to go to the open house. The link here includes links to a good > historical summary and to a lot of press stories. You can request to be > added to an email list. I have read the summary material and some of the > media articles. I will review the 'master plan'. > > > > I think birders and conservationists need to oppose this plan as it is > proposed. You can be one of "those people" that do good for conservation > by > writing comments to the Park Board, calling, or attending and speaking at > public meetings. You do not have to live in Dakota Co or have a Dakota Co. > list in order to express your thoughts and feelings. If this plan is > implemented, there will be less nesting in the park and less opportunity > for > migration feeding there. There will be fewer numbers and fewer species of > birds seen at Lebanon Hills. I have observed the development of farmland > and > forest and wetlands in the Mpls/StPaul area for 35 years. Most species of > both forest and grassland have declined significantly even in the last > decade. And protected natural areas are not protected in perpetuity. More > buildings, more parking areas, more trails/roads, and more paved > trails/roads seem to characterize the "management" of the parklands in the > 5/7 county metro area. > > > > See the material below and thank you for anything you can do. The winter > wrens and Blackburnian warblers would thank you for doing what they cannot. > > > > > Gordon Andersson > > St Paul > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jeri Ringold [mailto:j.ring...@comcast.net] > Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 9:47 AM > > Subject: Lebanon Hills needs your help > > > I am not sure if you are aware of the current plans being pushed forward in > Dakota County... but Lebanon Hills needs your help! > > The plan to pave 6.5 miles through the heart of this treasured wilderness > is > a terrible idea. The unique character of Lebanon Hills is that is > preserved, > wild and natural, which is increasingly rare in the metro area. > Unfortunately, the facilities expansion and paved trails now planned will > involve cutting down acres of trees, grading down the hills, filling in > valleys and paving a 10-12 foot road (plus clearance on both sides) right > through the middle of the one piece of wilderness left in this area. > > A quick glance through the public comments clearly indicates that the > general public is speaking up, but the Dakota County Commissioners do not > seem to be listening. Without the organized effort and political savvy of > organizations, I am afraid the wilderness of Lebanon Hills will be > irretrievably damaged. Future generations will never be able to experience > the same Up North feel that has been cherished by so many in this urban > oasis. > > * Are you aware of this? (a quick summary can be found here: > http://wildlebanonhills.org/) > > * Can you get involved? Time is running out -- the public plan open > house is Dec 16th, 5-7pm and the public comments period ends Jan 18th. > > > Thank you, > > Jeri Ringold > Eagan, MN > j.ring...@comcast.net > > cc: Mike Koutnik (m.kout...@comcast.net) > > Apologize if this has been circulated already - Lebanon Hills is under > threat. I know that is a wonderful local birding area! Open House is next > Monday and comments are due by January 18. > > -- > > > > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Curt Rawn 612-618-6200 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
