Urban woodlands precious

By Rich Patterson

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Although details of D-Day were secret, my mother once told me she knew the invasion was imminent. On June 6, 1944, her fiance, who later became my father, helped blast the Germans off the beach.

That day, Mom was obviously anxious. Although working many hours in a war production factory, she was able to take time on D-Day to walk behind the house and sit in an oak grove on the flank of New Jersey's Bald Hill. The peaceful quiet of the woods was a calming place for her on that stressful day. Those trees have since comforted many members of my family, including me.

Thousands of people take comfort in nature's beauty and go to woods, beaches, prairies or wetlands during difficult and joyful times. In the flood's aftermath, when many Cedar Rapids families were under massive emotional and financial stress, my staff noted an unusually large number of people parking along Otis Road and sitting in Nature Center oak groves. It's likely the same thing happened in the woods in area city parks. Many people have strong emotional attachments to natural areas, especially woodlands.

Sometimes this leads to conflict as described in a recent Gazette story. The city of Cedar Rapids approached Sue and Dave Kramer and offered to buy their woodland to build a fire station. The Kramers told them it wasn't for sale. The city then began condemnation proceedings.

To many people, a woodland is simply an unused place that could be put to better use. The Kramers see otherwise. Theirs is precious, priceless and already serve the highest purpose.

City staff attempting to acquire land may not understand the spiritual attachment many people have for natural areas and their opposition to their destruction. Resistance is interpreted as stalling in hopes of fetching a higher price, but money is not the issue. The preservation of beauty is, and that's not for sale at any price.

The loss of woodlands in Cedar Rapids after the flood is shocking. Woodlands absorb huge amounts of precipitation and play a key role in reducing floods, yet society has allowed many to be replaced by buildings and parking lots.

All cities should value woodlands for their outstanding ability to absorb water, cleanse air and provide pleasing scenery. They should recognize that many citizens have deep spiritual attachment to natural areas, and that an important function of government is to protect these places for the well-being of its people. Condemnation of a well-managed private woodland held precious by its owners is not acceptable.

Rich Patterson is director of Indian Creek Nature Center. Comments:

rpatterson@indian

creeknaturecenter.org