Save the C&O Canal from intrusive development!
DEFENDERS OF POTOMAC RIVER PARKLAND
Defenders' Letter Urges Safeguarding the Canal Park
The Defenders of Potomac River Parkland coalition reiterated its call for protecting the C&O Canal National Historical Park from private development in a letter published on December 2, 2009, in The Northwest Current (Washington, D.C.), page 10.
The Defenders' letter endorsed and expanded upon a "Viewpoint" article by Kirsten Johnson and Mary Pat Rowan that appeared in the Current's November 18 issue on page 15. The text of the Defenders' December 2 letter is below:
The Defenders' letter endorsed and expanded upon a "Viewpoint" article by Kirsten Johnson and Mary Pat Rowan that appeared in the Current's November 18 issue on page 15. The text of the Defenders' December 2 letter is below:
Park Service Must Protect C&O Canal
Our coalition endorses the Nov. 18 Viewpoint piece "Agency should protect urban wild spots," regarding the value of national parks in urban settings and the responsibility of the National Park Service to protect them from development interests.
Like other national parks in D.C., the magnificent C&O Canal National Historical Park, which includes three miles of Potomac River shoreline from Key Bridge to Chain Bridge in the nation's capital, is also under development threat. This scenic and historic area is part of the Potomac Gorge, a beautiful 15-mile section that contains some of the most extraordinary biological diversity on the East Coast. Two popular public trails -- the Canal Towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail -- run through this remarkable area and are enjoyed by hikers, bikers, birders and other visitors.
The National Park Service should protect this urban treasure from new development and find an appropriate location outside the C&O Canal National Historical Park for a large, private Georgetown University boathouse currently proposed for a narrow, wooded section of the park's shoreline. As stated in the above-mentioned piece, "There is always an alternative site for new construction."
Sally Strain
D.C. coordinator, Defenders of Potomac River Parkland
Like other national parks in D.C., the magnificent C&O Canal National Historical Park, which includes three miles of Potomac River shoreline from Key Bridge to Chain Bridge in the nation's capital, is also under development threat. This scenic and historic area is part of the Potomac Gorge, a beautiful 15-mile section that contains some of the most extraordinary biological diversity on the East Coast. Two popular public trails -- the Canal Towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail -- run through this remarkable area and are enjoyed by hikers, bikers, birders and other visitors.
The National Park Service should protect this urban treasure from new development and find an appropriate location outside the C&O Canal National Historical Park for a large, private Georgetown University boathouse currently proposed for a narrow, wooded section of the park's shoreline. As stated in the above-mentioned piece, "There is always an alternative site for new construction."
Sally Strain
D.C. coordinator, Defenders of Potomac River Parkland