Fellow birders: As I have posted before, the Geauga Park District is under attack from the Probate Judge and the new Park Board. There have been layoffs and most park employees have had a demotion. On Sept. 18, the Honorable Judge Timothy Grendell addressed the Geauga County Tea Party in a performance full of exaggerations and hypocrisy. In one segment, he picked up on the topic of the Virginia Rail. This bird is nesting in our Frohring Meadows and the opposition to our Protect Geauga Parks has used it as an example of the mission of the parks to preserve, protect and conserve. We have been criticized in letters to the editor for this "out of state bird from Virginia" which does not pay taxes. Now the judge gave his flapping bird performance to the Tea Party (two photos from the video above), saying we objected to the sun reflecting off of the soccer goals ( which he said we had indicated would disturb the bird) while we drove our big shiny cars through the parking lot. ( We drive a dusty Prius) This is the attitude toward preservation and in light of the recent State of the Birds report, we nature lovers in Geauga find this very disturbing. We are being called "environmental elitists", "whining malcontents" and my favorite, "Nature Nazis." The judge has taken out full page ads in 4 newspapers berating us and essentially calling us liars. All park districts in the state are under the local probate judge and it is his/her decision on how to interpret the Ohio Revised Code sec. 1545. If any conservation minded individual, especially those in NE Ohio, would care to write letter to the editor of the Plain Dealer, or contact our park board by email (go to geaugaparkdistrict.org) we would appreciate the backing. If your local parks have any similar agenda planned, please let me know. It will take a state wide effort to get the Ohio Revised Code changed. Meanwhile, if you can add your support to our group, Protect Geauga Parks, which is a non-partisan effort to keep our parks preserving, protecting and conserving over 9000 acres, please join our Facebook page (Protect Geauga Parks) or let me know privately at this email address if you would like to join our googlegroup to receive email updates. If you belong to any conservation minded groups, please share this with them. I haven't been called a "treehugger" in 40 years (it makes me feel so young)

Sandy Buckles
 
"We must strive to touch the land gently and care for it as true stewards that those who follow us may see our mark on the land was one of respect and love....."( From a trail marker at Settler's Cove, near Ketchikan , Alaska.)
Robert B. Oetting 



                                          
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