Community Corner
Sierra Club Joins Johns Homestead Fight
The public meeting is at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25 at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur.
DeKalb County's Board of Commissioners will hold a public meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25 at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur to listen to more arguments against turning Johns Homestead Park into an animal shelter. The Tucker Historical Society is encouraging supporters of the park to attend, wearing green, and to make their voices heard.
The following is a letter released Monday from the Georgia Sierra Club outlining the importance of preserving the area from development.
Dear Honorable Commissioners:
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On behalf of the 8,000 members of The Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, including the 3,000 members who live in DeKalb County, we respectfully urge the DeKalb Board of Commissioners to protect Johns Homestead Park (JHP) and to build the new much needed animal shelter on another, less pristine site.
Johns Homestead Park is a wonderful green space that preserves a beautiful forest, wetlands and Mature Tree Canopy. This greatly enhances our community with cleaner air and cooler summer temperatures as well as improving the general livability of Dekalb County and the Atlanta region. We are deeply concerned that this beautiful area will be sacrificed for an animal shelter and dog park. We agree that the County needs a new animal shelter but this is not the best choice for that facility.
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Sincerely,
Alan Toney
Chapter Conservation Chair
We have listed additional talking points below:This Park is an invaluable remnant of undisturbed, mature forest, extraordinary for its comparatively large size in the urban setting. Nature at JHP means sanctuary amid busy city life; cool microclimate; carbon sequestration; improved water quality; and erosion- and flood control.
We invite the Commissioners to view the site on Google Earth; the canopy is seen to be almost continuous. More wild species inhabit unbroken woodland than patches. JHP is an oasis for resident wildlife and a welcome stopover for migrating and overwintering birds.
JHP provides ecological services to citizens. Proximity to forest enhances property values. Canopy causes airflow aloft to tumble, softening windstorms’ force and protecting structures. Forest absorbs noise from vehicles. A mature hardwood tree can transpire 55 gallons of water per day. Beaver impoundments raise the water table, irrigating trees far and wide. Microbes in bottom mud detoxify pollutants in surface water. Plants take up storm water and wick it out slowly. For example, one pound of dried moss can retain 11 pounds of water. Vegetation matures soil and holds it. Alders, wetland trees, are the only plants that can fix atmospheric nitrogen in soil with the roots in standing water.
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