Regarding Highway 100 and the Rock Island Preserve, the following message
was posted on the Iowa Native Plant listserve today, and since Rob Hogg is
mentioned, and the Sierran article written by Bob and Linda Scarth, I
thought appropriate to post the message here, too.

Thanks to Rob and the Cedar-Wapsie Group for their work on this issue.
Jane Clark
================================================

Those of you in Eastern Iowa are probably well aware of the CR
Gazette's  many articles about the HWY 100 issue.  While articles
by Robert Hogg, Frank Olsen and others have written well of the
whole habitat and its vulnerable nature and importance, the paper
itself and other local news media are focusing only on the Byssus
skipper and almost making it seem a frivolous concern.  The total
impact on the larger area including Hanging Bog is also largely
dismissed.

Bob went to the meeting with Robert Hogg at which the City
Council voted to support the highway where it currently is
planned.  Bob spoke of the special nature of the place and its
beauty as well as its environmental value.  He used the anecdote
we used in the Iowa Sierran article about the woman who said
there is nothing to look at in Iowa so her daughter did not need
a camera with a zoom lens. Last fall we photographed several
places along the route for use by Sierra Club.  At that time we
felt that road preparations were being made to continue full
steam ahead with the highway in that location.

Each time an important habitat is degraded by inappropriate or
misplaced development in the name of being good for people,
people also end up the poorer. What they then see is degraded
land, perhaps invaded by weeds, and they have less to judge other
such impending desecrations against.  As people become
desensitized and accepting of poor environments, the few
remaining are more threatened. The aesthetic and character
development reasons for sustaining high quality native habitats
is as valuable as the species diversity, unknown physical benefit
reservoirs, historic record and specialness of such places.

I guess I had better get out of pulpit, especially because I know
we are all the choir.  I hope we do not get drowned out by the
sound of traffic.

Linda
[and Bob Scarth]

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