Urban sprawl is a bad deal for the environment. Not only has it contributed to habitat destruction all across the United States; perhaps even more importantly, sprawling suburbs encourage people to commute long distances to work, contributing heavily to global warming. The sprawling cities of the US are one of several reasons why our city emits much more carbon dioxide per capita than most of Western Europe, where living conditions are at least as good as they are in this country.
Given all this, why would a city that has allegedly made a commitment to fight global warming be making plans to replace 40 acres of a threatened habitat with a controversial development project that would contribute to urban sprawl? You might think the idea sounds unlikely, but this is just what is happening now in Corvallis. Under former mayor Helen Berg, Corvallis signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The city therefore has a responsibility to work on reducing its greenhouse emissions. And yet it may be about to let the developer Palisch Homes, which has a history of creating urban sprawl, build 221 suburban houses on a large section of oak savanna in the parcel of land known as Witham O
aks.
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE WITHAM OAKS
Oak savanna is one of the most threatened native habitats in North America, having been reduced to a tiny fraction of the area it formerly covered. The ecosystem provides habitat for declining plant and animal species, and the 40 acres of vegetation slated for development in Corvallis of course remove many tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Yet on April 19th, the Corvallis Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve the development project submitted by Palisch. Luckily, an appeal followed that ruling, and on May 21st the Corvallis City Council will decide whether or not to overrule the Planning Commission, at a public hearing; both in-person and written testimony will be accepted. And even if you are not a Corvallis resident, you can email the mayor and city council.
CONTACT THE CORVALLIS CITY GOVERNMENT TO VOICE YOUR CONCERNS
Given all this, why would a city that has allegedly made a commitment to fight global warming be making plans to replace 40 acres of a threatened habitat with a controversial development project that would contribute to urban sprawl? You might think the idea sounds unlikely, but this is just what is happening now in Corvallis. Under former mayor Helen Berg, Corvallis signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The city therefore has a responsibility to work on reducing its greenhouse emissions. And yet it may be about to let the developer Palisch Homes, which has a history of creating urban sprawl, build 221 suburban houses on a large section of oak savanna in the parcel of land known as Witham O
aks.FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE WITHAM OAKS
Oak savanna is one of the most threatened native habitats in North America, having been reduced to a tiny fraction of the area it formerly covered. The ecosystem provides habitat for declining plant and animal species, and the 40 acres of vegetation slated for development in Corvallis of course remove many tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Yet on April 19th, the Corvallis Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve the development project submitted by Palisch. Luckily, an appeal followed that ruling, and on May 21st the Corvallis City Council will decide whether or not to overrule the Planning Commission, at a public hearing; both in-person and written testimony will be accepted. And even if you are not a Corvallis resident, you can email the mayor and city council.
CONTACT THE CORVALLIS CITY GOVERNMENT TO VOICE YOUR CONCERNS
Note: Photos on this post come from the "Keep Witham Wild" website, http://www.keepwithamwild.net/
