Post by patrickm on Sept 10, 2013 14:31:38 GMT -6
Hi.
A tempest is brewing at Horner Park. I wrote about it on our blog, but I'll repost it here. Of course I managed to get in a plug for the Dark Sky movement, and maybe even though people are screaming at other people, and some probably think I eat tender babies skewered on roasted unicorn horns, something positive for darker urban skies can come out of this.
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Who can't hate that?
Unfortunately our energetic Alderman, Ameya Pawar, whom I strongly support, didn't exactly help the level of discourse when he threw out the term "clear-cut" in his September 9 open letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. People read or hear words like that, their brain shuts down, and they stop reading and thinking.
I can absolutely understand how people would be against parts of this plan for various reasons–I'm not, but I understand that we all have vested interests and deeply held beliefs; however, I cannot accept substituting panic, fear, vitriol, frantic arm-waving, and hyperbole for rational public discourse over a city planning and natural resource preservation and restoration issue. Such tactics move us further from a solution, not closer. (Paradoxically, if you are screaming at me, it makes it exceedingly difficult to hear you.)
Here is the letter I wrote this morning to Alderman Pawar (47th Ward) and Alderman Mell (33rd Ward) in support of the Army Corps of Engineers plan to restore the section of the Chicago River at Horner Park. At the request of others, I have also submitted it to editorials at Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times:
Hello Alderman Pawar and Alderman Mell,
I am a 47th Ward resident and a member of the Horner Park Advisory Council. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the meeting last night, but have gotten a full report.
If you are counting votes, I support the ACoE plan. I like the recent non-native species elimination and riverbank landscaping changes that were put into place a few years ago at Ronan Park. I think the changes for Horner will be more drastic, but will end up being nicer & more important for the environment, the park, and the health of the Chicago River in the medium and long term.
It is unfortunate to hear loaded words being tossed around like "clear cut"–which incorrectly leaves people with visions of mountains naked but for the stumps of thousands of trees, "tree holocaust"–a particularly awful and unfortunate choice which clearly brings up images of Nazi death camps and complete, soulless devastation with nothing in its wake, and "dragging the river for toddlers"–which ignores the miles and miles of Chicago River access in parks all throughout the City where, to my knowledge, toddler dredging is thankfully an exceedingly rare activity. These scare terms are purposefully used to appeal only to base human emotion while disengaging the brain for rational discourse. Loaded terms impede reason and play on our natural fear of change.
Some hysterical people are acting like trees will leave and a field of stumps, a parking lot, or a Wal-Mart will go in, as if the project will halt after the first step. I understand that there will be some discomfort, inconvenience, and adjustment, but this is a positive plan for the environment as a whole, and for our beloved Horner Park more specifically.
I hope that delays do not cause us to lose the $6.5 million in funding that has suddenly become available, and I fear a stalling tactics by scared reactionaries will result in just that.
I understand concerns about light pollution. If the lighting at the park is a problem, there is much that can be done to use directional lighting in the park that would make it less light polluting for all. The International Dark Sky Association has ideas on their website that might be a place to start:
www.darksky.org/assets/documents/PG3-residential-lighting.pdf
www.darksky.org/assets/documents/Specbull1-2.pdf
As an amateur astronomer who offers free public viewing in Horner Park and other parks, I would support any measures to reduce light leakage and pollution in all of our parks, and at Horner specifically.
I also hope that this project can be a small stepping stone toward cleaning up the Chicago River, which I know is a goal that we all share.
Best,
Patrick Monaghan[/blockquote]
Can we all agree that it's easier to work toward a solution if we aren't shouting, name-calling, and fear mongering? Let's start there. Please.
A tempest is brewing at Horner Park. I wrote about it on our blog, but I'll repost it here. Of course I managed to get in a plug for the Dark Sky movement, and maybe even though people are screaming at other people, and some probably think I eat tender babies skewered on roasted unicorn horns, something positive for darker urban skies can come out of this.
------
Last night there was a monthly meeting of the Horner Park Advisory Committee (HPAC), the citizen steering committee of which I am a member. Normal meetings have five or ten people and things roll along rather smoothly. Small business is conducted. Future plans discussed. Minuscule budget matters parsed.[/url])
Last night's meeting drew about one hundred attendees, most of whom came to have their voices heard about the long simmering Army Corps of Engineers plan to return the West bank of the Chicago River in our beloved Horner Park to natural habitat and encourage species diversity, while also allowing access to one of our city's greatest natural resources.
Well, people freaked out, flames were fanned and some terribly unhelpful, scare words, imagery, and loaded language was used to stir up emotions on this topic both before and during the meeting, a topic that has been on the docket with HPAC, Army Corps of Engineers, and Friends of the Chicago River for over a decade.
The Horner Park Advisory Council, in conjunction with Friends of the Chicago River, developed the plan to stabilize the bank, enhance the quality of wildlife along the shore, and improve water retention.
"The Horner Park riverbank is eroding, it's crumbling," said Cynthia Fox, director of operations for Friends of the Chicago River. (courtesy [urlhttp://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130910/albany-park/horner-park-neighbors-blast-holocaust-on-trees]DNAinfo
Who can't hate that?
Unfortunately our energetic Alderman, Ameya Pawar, whom I strongly support, didn't exactly help the level of discourse when he threw out the term "clear-cut" in his September 9 open letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. People read or hear words like that, their brain shuts down, and they stop reading and thinking.
I can absolutely understand how people would be against parts of this plan for various reasons–I'm not, but I understand that we all have vested interests and deeply held beliefs; however, I cannot accept substituting panic, fear, vitriol, frantic arm-waving, and hyperbole for rational public discourse over a city planning and natural resource preservation and restoration issue. Such tactics move us further from a solution, not closer. (Paradoxically, if you are screaming at me, it makes it exceedingly difficult to hear you.)
Here is the letter I wrote this morning to Alderman Pawar (47th Ward) and Alderman Mell (33rd Ward) in support of the Army Corps of Engineers plan to restore the section of the Chicago River at Horner Park. At the request of others, I have also submitted it to editorials at Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times:
Hello Alderman Pawar and Alderman Mell,
I am a 47th Ward resident and a member of the Horner Park Advisory Council. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the meeting last night, but have gotten a full report.
If you are counting votes, I support the ACoE plan. I like the recent non-native species elimination and riverbank landscaping changes that were put into place a few years ago at Ronan Park. I think the changes for Horner will be more drastic, but will end up being nicer & more important for the environment, the park, and the health of the Chicago River in the medium and long term.
It is unfortunate to hear loaded words being tossed around like "clear cut"–which incorrectly leaves people with visions of mountains naked but for the stumps of thousands of trees, "tree holocaust"–a particularly awful and unfortunate choice which clearly brings up images of Nazi death camps and complete, soulless devastation with nothing in its wake, and "dragging the river for toddlers"–which ignores the miles and miles of Chicago River access in parks all throughout the City where, to my knowledge, toddler dredging is thankfully an exceedingly rare activity. These scare terms are purposefully used to appeal only to base human emotion while disengaging the brain for rational discourse. Loaded terms impede reason and play on our natural fear of change.
Some hysterical people are acting like trees will leave and a field of stumps, a parking lot, or a Wal-Mart will go in, as if the project will halt after the first step. I understand that there will be some discomfort, inconvenience, and adjustment, but this is a positive plan for the environment as a whole, and for our beloved Horner Park more specifically.
I hope that delays do not cause us to lose the $6.5 million in funding that has suddenly become available, and I fear a stalling tactics by scared reactionaries will result in just that.
I understand concerns about light pollution. If the lighting at the park is a problem, there is much that can be done to use directional lighting in the park that would make it less light polluting for all. The International Dark Sky Association has ideas on their website that might be a place to start:
www.darksky.org/assets/documents/PG3-residential-lighting.pdf
www.darksky.org/assets/documents/Specbull1-2.pdf
As an amateur astronomer who offers free public viewing in Horner Park and other parks, I would support any measures to reduce light leakage and pollution in all of our parks, and at Horner specifically.
I also hope that this project can be a small stepping stone toward cleaning up the Chicago River, which I know is a goal that we all share.
Best,
Patrick Monaghan[/blockquote]
Can we all agree that it's easier to work toward a solution if we aren't shouting, name-calling, and fear mongering? Let's start there. Please.
