My friend forwarded info to her friend who works for Nature Conservancy - who
said the Army Corps of Engineers is doing this all across the country.
Will update if I hear anything else.
And my friend, who has attended some of the bird bandings at Warner Park, says
Graham is an amazing photographer (just thought I'd pass along the compliment
in the midst of all the negativity :) )
On Thursday, March 18, 2021, 07:51:40 PM CDT, Paul Latour
<paullat@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Anybody care to see the letter I wrote Adams?Just ask.Any chance the Nature
Conservancy would be interested in leading this land (typically 100-yr)?They
may have resources towards such.
Best wishes,Paul Latour
On Mar 18, 2021, at 5:40 PM, Gail King <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thank you, Graham, for getting me started and to Richard for providing Mr.
Clark's contact.I have sent a letter to Mr. Adams and copied it to Mr. Clark. I
was clear that while I am not a Davidson County resident, as an avid Tennessee
birder I am interested in protecting important public lands across the state in
their natural state, despite economic pressure to develop them.
Gail King
-----Original Message-----
From: richard connors <didymops07@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Graham <grahamgerdeman@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: tn-bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Mar 15, 2021 2:15 pm
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Proposal to develop Cook Rec Area - Davidson County
Thanks to Graham for circulating the alert on this issue.My letter to Mr. Adams
was promptly acknowledged. And I sent a copy to Anderson (Ande) Clark,
andeclark22@xxxxxxxxx, the point person for the neighborhood group fighting the
commercialization proposal. He put me on the email list for further alerts and
info.Letters to Senators also needed from counties outside Davidson, such as
Wilson, Rutherford, Sumner and Williamson, and of course other TN counties.If
allowed to fall to development and commercialization this greenspace cannot be
recovered and made green again. Thanks!Richard ConnorsNashville
On Mon, Mar 15, 2021 at 9:41 AM Graham <grahamgerdeman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello all,
I wanted to write to make sure that members of this forum are aware of a
proposal by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to lease the entire 220
acres of the Cook Recreation Area in Nashville to private developers. See
attached letter (2 jpgs) dated Feb 22, 2021 outlining the plan, and inviting
public input for a period of 30 days, which ends one week from today.
As most of you know, Cook Rec Area is an important birding site in the area, as
are all of the relatively undeveloped lands around Percy Priest Lake. It is
home to nesting Baltimore Orioles, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and dozens of other
species. It is used heavily by Bald Eagles, which have recovered in no small
part in Middle TN due to such areas being accessible to them. At least
One-hundred Forty species of bird have been recorded there (that is the number
currently for the eBird hotspot, but there could be more, historically, and
spring migrants are woefully under-reported - only SIX warbler sp??). In the
winter, it is the best spot we have for observing roosting gulls and the myriad
of loons and ducks which are winter residents. It is also one of Nashville's
best places to simply see the sun set, or the moon rise, over the water in
relative peace. Granted, there are already those who can't do that without
their music pumped as loud as it will go.
Please write to, or call, the contact in this letter (David Adams -
david.a.adams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ) to insist that Cook not be leased to private
developers. If limited leasing to upgrade and manage the campground were to
occur, it must only be allowed with significant restrictions to minimize
environmental impact. The absolute worst case scenario for this natural area
would be for unrestricted leasing of the entire area for development of some
kind of water park or motorized water sports in the name of increased
recreational activities. PLEASE, no! Without a DOUBT there are significant
numbers of both residents and developers who would love nothing more than this.
We must make our own voices heard.
I am told there is also a local petition to leave Cook as it is, but I do not
know any details or where to access it. In any case, personal contact is
generally more effective than signing a petition.
Thanks all, and apologies for the long letter.
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
