Can't see the forest for the ... buckthorn
My name is Richard Gross, I teach biology at Conant High School. To Mr. Kelly's question, "Who in their right mind decided to undertake such a project?" (May 17 Neighbor Fencepost), referring to the ongoing work at Park St. Claire, I respond, me.
The work was actually begun eight years ago. I organized a Salt Creek cleanup day to celebrate Earth Day; the first three years we picked up truckloads of garbage and cleared several massive obstructions from the creek.
Since my students were donating a lot of hours already, I established a project where they could complete their mandatory 20 hours of community service their senior year. In the past five years students have donated more than 10,000 hours of service to the park.
My students took exception to your use of "deforestation," insisting they have not cut down a single tree. The vegetation they removed was common buckthorn, honeysuckle, white mulberry and multifloral rose - each on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources list of Worst Invasive Species.
The students also objected to calling the project "frivolous," noting the invasive species were responsible for the loss of native species. What you called deforestation was actually an invasive species eradication, where we removed weeds from the riparian zone like you remove dandelions from your yard.
Now that so much improvement has been made at no cost to citizens, it is time for the people who live near Park St. Claire to step up and ask that more tax money be spent in their neighborhood.
This is where you come in Mr. Kelly; you have proven yourself a concerned citizen and I applaud you. However, simply voicing your concern about the health of the park does very little to improve the situation. I have been looking for someone who lives by Park St. Claire to help me establish a group of concerned citizens to organize ongoing stewardship programs in order to create a beautiful, healthy natural area.
Mr. Kelley, please feel free to call me at Conant High School. I'm looking forward to working with you.
Richard Gross
Conant High School