Sleepy Hollow Road tree canopy ruined

Sleepy Hollow Road tree canopy ruined

I, and many others, have spent countless hours attempting to preserve and protect the rare wild beauty of Sleepy Hollow Road, now designated an Illinois State Pleasure Driveway.

Several residents, including former trustees, share my shock and dismay at the sight of a long stretch of road south of Route 72 which was clear-cut to plant a row of short young flowering trees and senseless (deer-candy) saplings. Large oak trees, including oak and walnut, were destroyed thereby eliminating the former tree canopy. So much for having been named a Tree City, USA. Our Pleasure Driveway ordinance, forbidding alternation to the road and its foliage, was completely ignored.

Once a thickly wooded byway dating back to its usage as an Indian footpath, the road will now suddenly sport a long, sparse, alien stretch, reminiscent of a Florida strip mall.

Former Daily Herald writer Barb Ferguson often wrote columns quoting residents on how much the little stretch of road and its cool green solace meant to them. She called it "A Little Piece of Zen." Now excessive butchering has destroyed its unique ambience forever.

Objections should be directed to President Stephen Pickett, Joe Nemec (environmental committee) and Russell Getz (roads and trustee) who accepted recommendations made by ComEd and the Sleepy Hollow Public Works Department, explanations offered in response to my inquiries.

A public hearing should have been held.

As naturalist Henry Thoreau once said, "In wildness is the preservation of the world."

Mona Abboud Auer

Sleepy Hollow