Public Testimony (Opposition) - Laserfiche WebLink

bygone days. It's a place where families, hikers, etc. can go to rejuvenate themselves from the hectic pace of city life under a historic canopy of towering Douglas Fir Trees. Although The White Oak Tree is also a special feature of Hendricks Park, it's the historically clad aspect of Hendricks Park, the 'Douglas Fir' Trees, which truly are the heart of Hendricks Park. These towering giants are reminders of the vast, great forest beyond the city which makes this park unique as it gives one a sense of experiencing the great outdoors in the middle of the city. Along with the towering 'Douglas Fir' Trees that provides shelter for numerous wildlife, birds, plant species, etc. and that filters noise and pollution from our area, has wildflowers, streams, etc. that make the journey through Hendricks Park so remarkable. Frederick Law Olmsted, the great landscape architect of Central Park in New York City, spoke frequently about the need for modern man to have a change of scenery from the hectic paces of life. How parks were the essential backdrop for restoration of man's soul as they provided solace, refreshment under the complex canopy of nature, etc. He talked about the importance of having a gradual transition of nature from a city that gradually led up to the full experience of nature in a park in all of its natural glory. recently took a look at the entrance to Hendricks Park from our neighborhood, and I could see how the transition to Hendricks Park worked along the Ribbon Trail (which is a breathtaking trail in the Spring with giant swaths of wildflowers flowing and moving in the wind on the gentle slopes of the Laurel Ridgeline that borders the Ribbon Trail). A significant aspect of this transition from city to parkland along the Ribbon Trail, is the 8 acres bordering my house on Capital Drive all the way to Hendricks Park. This 1/8t" mile trail is a buffer zone for Hendricks Park and should remain intact to ensure longevity of Hendricks Park specialized, and now, compromised (with the development of Moon Mountain & building of the Ribbon Trail) delicate eco- system. Nature can restore itself; but it needs the time & untrammeled conditions to do so. The Army of Corp Engineer Report in 1987 states that the longevity of Hendricks Park was in jeopardy at that time due to surrounding development around the park and the consequential impact of being cut off from the mainland forest surrounding this area. This report was conducted decades before the large development of the Moon Mountain area southwest of Hendricks Park which further cut the Park off from the mainland forest. The Hendricks Park Forest Management Plan echoes the Corp Engineer Report on the importance of restoration for the survival of this historic park. It also notes that the intention of the founders of Hendricks Park, Thomas and Martha Hendricks was (p.18): that such park should be procured at the present time when the same is available in its natural state, to be 4