Since I don't have much in details and some of my comments might be
inaccurate --

** please do *NOT* forward this message on **

The agenda item is listed as "Iowa Primate Learning Center".

For those of you who follow Ted Townsend's escapades, his latest dream is to
take a 100+acre Polk County park and turn it into a chimpanzee research
center.  It is to be called the Iowa Primate Learning Center.  I don't know
all the details, but Townsend would like the county to turn Ft. Des Moines
Park over to his center (and thereby taking it away from the public) and
build a 12-foot high wall around it (not to keep the chimpanzees in but to
keep the public out).  I don't imagine he expects to pay the county
conservation board $10-15 million dollars for this -- I imagine he expects
it will be free -- an easement or lease where there would be no cost to him
for the land for his project.  This park is in the southern part of Des
Moines, not far from Blank Park Zoo.  The park includes a nice timber, a
small fishing lake, a few shelter houses, and some valuable and peaceful
greenspace for southsiders.

There will be a proposal presented at the Polk County Conservation Board's
meeting this coming Wednesday, January 9th.  The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
and this item is near the end of the agenda.  The meeting will be held in
the county administrative building at 1st and Court, room 120.

Meetings are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend.

If you'd like details about this, contact me.

Jane Clark
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515-223-5047

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