Letter To The Editor: Protect Land Along The 'Hooch

Dear Editor,

I grew up a five minute walk from a public park in Connecticut. Until I moved to Decatur, I was not aware that losing green spaces to development an issue. I assumed all parks were beautiful green spaces open to the community. The parks along the Chattahoochee River should be like this. Unfortunately 3,500 acres of these green spaces are currently threatened by developers.

There is no excuse for this encroachment. When Congress established the Land and Water Conservation Fund fifty years ago the problem of protecting the parks should have been solved. But every year the resources meant to go to the Fund have been diverted to non-conservation projects.

Protecting our green spaces should not be up for discussion, because a simple solution exists. I am not alone in urging Senators Chambliss and Isakson to support full federal funding of all 10,000 acres of Chattahoochee parks.

Sincerely, Cheryl Wollner