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Great lead editorial in this morning's Observer on Evergreen Woods











Published Monday, November 27, 2000
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Evergreen forest

Don't spoil the woods in the heart of the city   
A
lmost miraculously, 85 acres of 60-year-old forest have survived intact,
nestled between the hustle of Independence Boulevard and the bustle of
Central Avenue. This land, adjacent to city-owned Evergreen Cemetery, has
been something of a secret among neighborhood residents, who use it for
hiking, jogging, bird-watching and otherwise communing with nature. After the
city decided several years ago that the cemetery wouldn't need the land for
expansion, talk began of turning it over to the county park department. That
remains an excellent idea, especially in a part of the city that has far
fewer parks, large and small, than it needs. But what kind of park? Those who
love the woods, charting its nesting birds and tracking its wildlife, fear
that building ballfields at its hea! ! ! rt would ruin what would make it a unique
place among county parks. It's the largest big woods easily accessible from
uptown. It's adjacent to two schools and accessible by public transit.
Bird-watchers say that because of its size, it attracts species that
typically nest only in deep woods, such as wood thrushes. However, the area
surrounding the park is as densely developed, and park-poor, as any in
Charlotte. It lacks enough recreational facilities, including ballfields.
Even part of those 85 acres could go far toward easing that shortage. So the
park department, as it should, is studying how best to use the land if the
city gives it to the county, as the county has requested. A public workshop,
to gauge the neighborhood's wishes, is planned for 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at Eastway
Middle School. As planning continues, we hope park officials take the long
view. While it's important to consider recreational needs for the area's
childre! ! ! n, it's also important to remember that recreation is far more than
organized team sports. Finding raccoon tracks or owl pellets while hiking, or
watching a hawk float through the autumn sky, or listening to the flute-like
notes of the wood thrush - all are recreation, too, and for all ages, kids
included. The blunt reality is that such large, unspoiled tracts of woods,
which take generations to grow, no longer exist in central Charlotte.
Ballfields, on the other hand, while necessary and well-used, are neither
rare nor special. Having such a woods is a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
Preserving them would create a unique amenity, bolstering east Charlotte,
which has suffered from neglect in years past. We hope several things
eventually emerge from the planning for Evergreen Forest. First, we hope the
situation reinforces the resolve of city and county policy-makers to ensure
that large chunks of the city can no longer be developed wi! ! ! thout enough
parks. Second, we hope the fledgling partnership of the public schools and
the park department will produce agreements to use undeveloped land at nearby
schools for those much-needed athletic fields. Finally, we hope to see, one
day, an 80-acre forest preserve in the heart of the city. To chop such a
treasure into ballfields would be a case of not seeing the forest for the
trees.



Larry Barden, 1525-F Lansdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28223, (704) 535-6385,
LSBarden@aol.com