Protecting the environment now is an investment in the future

By Shannon Ramsay

----

A shocking sight indeed, the 120-foot swath cut through beautiful woods for a 60-inch sewer line stretching 16 miles to meet the needs of our growing region. Nature lovers dreaded the start of this project, but no one was prepared for the amount of destruction that took place.

I encourage people to view the project by driving east along Mount Vernon Road just beyond Indian Creek. Highly trained foresters with the City of Cedar Rapids had clearly marked the large oaks and sycamores to be saved, requiring the standard orange plastic protective fencing around the trees to protect the roots during construction. Yet these measures were not enough to protect the large, beautiful trees from being destroyed.

An untrained or uncaring bulldozer operator can do more damage in a few minutes than what a chain-saw operator could do in an entire week. Just ask the residents of what some locals refer to as “Hiroshima Heights,” the Regency Development behind the Mount Vernon Road Hy-Vee, where acres of beautiful woods and rich topsoil were removed during development. Ten years later, this development is still a sore subject with many.

I was the victim of an out-of-control bulldozer operator, instructed by a neighbor to do a lot of clearing. He ended up on my property, taking out a buffer of trees along a creek. Two painful years later, the court awarded treble damages to me for those trees. Still, the trees I replaced are very small compared to large, majestic trees that once held the soil in place, improved air and water quality, and provided roosting sites for eagles and other birds.

April is Earth Month, and Arbor Day is Friday, so it is an ideal time to reflect on our relationship to the Earth. Let's ask ourselves what we could have done differently to prevent this type of destruction.

Could a simple meeting with the heavy equipment operators prior to the start of the project have helped avoid the problem? Should we have better ordinances in place with adequate funding for city staff to ensure that practices are actually carried out? Should we as citizens make our last remaining forests and natural areas a top priority?

Cedar Rapids joins other cities with plans to do more to protect, enhance and expand living green infrastructure - including planting more trees, installing rain gardens, returning pavement to permeable surfaces, and building “skinny streets” with more natural drainage. Still, we can do more, and yes, it is going to require more investment of time and resources.

As individuals, we can follow other great examples. The late widow of Rockwell Collins founder Art Collins placed a conservation easement on their Cedar Rapids property to permanently protect a few large trees. Alice Smith and  Elizabeth Barry  sold their interests in the property at a reduced price and their nieces, Cynthia Thompson of Cedar Rapids and Nancy Thompson of  New York City, donated their shares to help protect what is now “Faulkes Heritage Woods,” a beautiful 110-acre wooded tract located off Tama Street in Marion. Linn County residents Denny and Jacque Holloway fund the “Our Woodland Legacy” program through Trees Forever, to educate and build public support for the benefits of trees and natural areas.

By protecting our natural world today, we are investing in, rather than borrowing from, future generations. Let's make every day Earth Day!

Shannon Ramsay, founding president of Marion-based Trees Forever, lives in rural Jones County. Comments: SRamsay@treesforever.org