Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Proposed Bill Would Create Old Forest State Natural Area
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 2:38 PM
Good news ... This comes to you from another guest blogger, our new intern Natalie. And, yes, I'm totally loving this out-sourcing thing.
Naomi Van Tol’s goal is straightforward: To save the Old Forest section of Overton Park.
As president of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park (CPOP), Van Tol feels obligated to protect the beloved forest she remembers as a child. The natural arboretum, home to a plethora bird and plant species and trees older than Memphis itself, has already been decreased to fewer than 150 acres today.
State Senator Beverly Marrero and Representative Jeanne Richardson — the two Tennessee state legislators whose districts cover Overton Park — recently filed a bill to create an Old Forest State Natural Area in the park.
In the last few years, CPOP has been concerned about the Memphis Zoo's expansion plans, specifically its plans for a Chickasaw Bluffs exhibit. If the bill passes, the forest would be protected by the state from inappropriate development.
The next stop will be for Van Tol and CPOP to make their case in Nashville.
Comments (16)
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If protecting the old forest makes me a tree hugging hippy, then I guess I am one (although it will be the first time anyone has ever called me such!)
yeah, merc, every day I go to work dressed in a suit and tie, neat haircut, house in germantown with a mortgage, but I guess the first thing people think when they see me is "dirty stinking hippie..."
To all the the tree-hugging hippies out there - THANK YOU!!!! And, ignore the ignorant...
This is a very important piece of legistation that needs our support. This forest has to be protected for future generations. I am proud of and love our zoo but we do not need to sacrifice our beautiful forests for their expansion.
Will people still be able to run the dirt trails in the park if this is a protected natural area? I ask because you are actually not supposed to run in the Lucius Burch Natural Area at Shelby Farms Park (people still obviously do this all the time). I am all for the protection of Overton Park, but I think it would be helpful to have more details on the natural area designation (besides the link the state website).
Aww, thanks for the compliments! I don't deserve so much credit though. Our board is fully committed to making this happen, and we would never have gotten this far without the vast hordes of hippie treehuggers who support us.
Most of us pretend to be ordinary law-abiding taxpaying citizens when we're out in public (to avoid getting hassled by the Man) but at our monthly naked moonlight drum circles it's a different story!
makememphisbetter - Each designated SNA is governed by the Natural Areas Preservation Act (TCA 11-14-101), by TDEC's Rules of Management, and by a management plan jointly developed by the property owner and TDEC's Natural Heritage staff. There is nothing in the Act or the Rules that would prohibit running on the Old Forest trails.
Running and biking are banned in the LBNA because Shelby Farms and TDEC decided to put that language in their management plan and they have never changed it.
If we get this bill passed, CPOP will definitely advocate for the existing public uses (walking, running, biking) to remain the same. I don't know of any reason why the City or TDEC would want to ban trail running in the Old Forest.
It's even worse than that, Wintermute. We want to keep things the way they were 10,000 years ago! Ah, those were the good old days...
But seriously, this is not about nostalgia. It's about getting legal protection for a publicly owned natural resource, because it's a remarkable old growth forest (330+ plant species from 85 families, 160+ bird species, etc.) and people can learn a lot from it.
...you forgot about the countless bodies and weapons no doubt secluded within this woodland sanctuary.
Probably fewer weapons than can be found in Applebee's with the new guns in bars law.
what is the weird connection with Applebees and carry permit holders anyway? Do all carry permit holders have such atrociously bad taste in restaurant preferences?
To answer the second question first...No. As a duly certified carry permit holder you can rest assured that I never set foot in such abominable establishments.
The Applebee's snip was in reference to the owner?/manager? of a local Applebee's that thought the Guns in Bars law was a great idea.
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