Memorial Park Conservancy (MPC) is planning to tear down 30+ acres of natural, established, diversified forest to plant rows of straight trees (pines have been suggested) to honor Memorial Park's history as a military base during WWI. The name of this project is Memorial Groves, and it's the 30-100 acres of forest next to the mile-long stretch on the western flank of the jogging trail (see the graphic above; it's primarily the forest to the west of W Memorial Loop Drive and to a lesser degree to the east of W Memorial Loop Drive/the Seymour Lieberman jogging trail; and from the I-10 feeder on the north end to Memorial Drive on the south end). MPC is planning to maintain some trees (number/acres TBD), but the bulk of this forest will be replaced with rows of straight trees, two parking lots, additional prairie areas, and a workout trail. The point of this project is to educate park visitors about the military history of Memorial Park and to honor the Black soldiers who were wrongly executed after the Camp Logan riots. Please visit the MPC website for more information.

I ran down the Outer Loop Trail this morning, like I do most mornings, and was struck once again by the beauty, serenity, and joy of the forest that is home to the future Memorial Groves. And once again, my heart was breaking when I thought of how much of that forest will be torn down for this project. My heart also goes out to the coyotes, rabbits, armadillos, and other wildlife living in this forest, who will lose their habitat.

As Henry David Thoreau wrote:

"We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature."

I object to this project, and have suggested a downsizing: plant the straight trees in the existing 5 acres of open area right next to the forest; build boardwalks to the remaining handful of concrete foundations from the military base; and do NOT tear down acres and acres of existing forest. I support honoring the military history of Memorial Park and the memory of the Black soldiers unjustly executed after the Camp Logan riots, but I do not support sacrificing extensive forest to accomplish this goal.

Please sign this petition if you object to MPC's current plans for Memorial Groves. Or email your thoughts about alternatives directly to MPC at groves@memorialparkconservancy.org.

Thank you, Michelle Wolpert