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Date published: 9/14/2005
Today will be a day like any other in Stafford--somewhere in the county, another piece of lush, green landscape will be bulldozed to make room for one more subdivision, nearly identical to one just down the road ["Starring: Herons," Aug. 28]. It's all in the name of "progress," of course. But what are we progressing toward? What is our goal? Do we have one? If it is to lose all our distinguishing features and blend perfectly with every other bedroom community in the Washington area, then it is painfully clear that we are succeeding at a breakneck pace. It's not that we don't welcome new people and businesses. But sadly, the county is failing to balance the need to accommodate its burgeoning population with an equally critical need to preserve its quality of life. At this moment, the Stafford Board of Supervisors has in its hands an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference--to help preserve that quality of life--by taking immediate action to prevent development on Crow's Nest, the rare natural resource that distinguishes Stafford from any other place in Virginia or even the nation. The unique ecosystem of this exceptional site can be found in few places in the world; yet seemingly no steps are being taken to stop the outside developers, who already have plans for 1,000 homes on the environmentally fragile peninsula. Currently, less than 1 percent of Stafford's land mass is in parkland--a shocking statistic for a county of its size. Saving Crow's Nest for a recreational area not only makes sense ecologically, it makes even more sense economically. The amount spent for establishing Crow's Nest as a recreational area would be a drop in the bucket compared with the taxes we will be assessed for new schools, roads, and county services for those 1,000 homes. We elected the Stafford County supervisors to help safeguard our quality of life. They need to take action now to preserve our county from anonymity forever.
Marilyn and Richard Ayres Stafford
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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