Thanks to everyone who signed the petition to Save Mount Hope Cemetery. With construction supposedly starting this October (according to the City), I filed a lawsuit last week to try to stop the solar project. We tried unsuccessfully to find a lawyer, so I filed the complaint myself, BUT thankfully, a lawyer has stepped in to save the day. Penni Livingston is now representing us. She's a great lawyer who spent her career protecting the environment. Penni is semi-retired and doing Mount Hope a huge favor. Fun fact: Penni sued Mount Hope's previous owner in the 1990s because of illegal dumping and WON. Many of us tried very hard to stop this project without taking this route. I'm not a lawyer, but I thoroughly researched cemetery law over the past year to put this case together. I stand by my complaint, but I knew I didn't have much of a shot in court without a lawyer. With Penni, we've got a real chance to Save Mount Hope - but it's our last chance. 

This lawsuit is expensive, even though Penni is giving us a generous discount due to the public nature of the issue; the costs (including court fees and even printing) are adding up quickly. If every person who signed the petition donated $5, it would make a serious dent in these costs. Please consider making a little (or big) donation to our GoFundMe - all money will go toward legal expenses, and anything left over will go toward the cemetery. 

We have better ideas for Mount Hope. There is a lot of interest in starting a Mount Hope non-profit. Besides that, we have other great ideas for helping the City figure out how to pay for the cemetery, like selling tree plots in unused sections. We've already been hosting events like bird walks and history walks. We even have a bird walk planned for this Saturday at 8:30am, consider joining. The event is free, and we will have loaner binoculars available if you do not have your own. This cemetery is a beautiful, special place, and it should stay that way. Thanks for your support.