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"Every year, the Ohio Division of Wildlife deceives Ohio citizens by claiming that hunting is necessary to control the deer population."
"Ohio Division of Wildlife deliberately maintains an enormous deer population so sport hunters have a better chances of "bagging" a deer."
People/Animals Network
peopleanimalsnet@aol.com
Editorial from the January 2 issue...
As a member of Invest in Oakwood, I strongly encourage Oakwood citizens who value Oakwood’s unique natural history and few remaining green spaces to call or write to our city council members NOW to ask them to hold back in their decision making about the development of Sugar Camp.
For the thirty plus years that I’ve lived in the Dayton area, one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve held dear is the tree-lined Far Hills gateway that introduces us to what was once NCR’s Sugar Camp, to the Schantz Av intersection that leads to our neighborhoods, and to the city of Oakwood. It also offers continuity to Hills and Dales Park. The landscape is so significant that I am astonished that our city council is working so quickly to demolish the woods for yet more homogenizing development. That small bit of woods distinguishes Oakwood splendidly from the cities of Kettering and Dayton, yet links us to the University of Dayton. Ironically, a decade or so ago, in their 20-year plan, UD eliminated a short street on Brown St, added green space with trees, shrubs and flowers and a substantial stone marker to make the university more distinguished and inviting. This attests to the importance of trees to the urban experience and to defining our borders.
But the natural area that is being developed is important in many other ways. Of course, the trees provide soundproofing and oxygen. But they play another important role. Oakwood is a headwater source for the Great Miami River; thus, these trees help to regulate, store and clean storm water and stem erosion. But when the trees are razed, development typically replaces that function with sewers and retention/detention ponds (although there are far more innovative ways to deal with these problems). So all of the fertilizers, oils, pesticides and garbage will then gush into the Great Miami causing more erosion for citizens downstream and polluted water for taxpayers to have to pay for clean up. Storm water management is one of the most complex and expensive services that taxpayers pay for but developers, politicians, nor the local media ever talk about. In addition, taxpayers will soon be asked to pay more for police and fire protection, emergency services, enlarging the schools, snow removal and trash collections, and maintenance of sewers. Oakwood taxpayers need to demand that city council provide us with these cost projections. After all, it is OUR money they are spending.
We members of Invest in Oakwood have been continually asking council members to slow down their hurried quest to develop every remaining natural area. We have persistently asked that they adhere to the Comprehensive Plan, which this development does not pay heed to. We would like city council to review more exemplary developments that preserve natural features such as those that characterize Oakwood’s beauty (The term is Building inside Nature’s Envelope). We would like natural spaces that ALL Oakwood citizens can enjoy.
The Sugar Camp development is simply not a forward-thinking concept. Citizens are not getting the best value for their money. For a 21st Century concept, the proposed Sugar Camp project does not pass muster.
Nancy Bain
Acorn Drive
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