Resident pleads for town to save last green spaces

With public awareness of the ecological implications of so-called development on the rise, perhaps the time has come to save the Elberon Ranch.

For starters, one huge problem aggravated by the recent drought is runoff. Paving too much land severely depletes an already low water table.

I maintain that the land the ranch occupies is a great boon to all of our trees and plants. It’s the only large unspoiled space in this town, and it greatly enhances the water table surrounding it.

Think also of the huge amount of oxygen given to us by the millions of plants occupying this beautiful piece of land. Do we, the people who live here and pay taxes, really want to give up our green trees and fresh air to make a few developers rich? This is not to mention overcrowding our comfortable town. Do we really need more traffic?

Add to that the national, even worldwide concern with biodiversity, because on that land, unlike managed public parks, there is deadfall, and there are thousands of species of plants and animals that can only exist where there is deadfall.

These precious species are being threatened by ugly, thoughtless, money-driven urban sprawl, and it’s high time we consider all of the long-term implications of how we manage our irreplaceable land.

Mayor Adam Schneider, I hope you are reading this.

Alex Brewer

Elberon