THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602030104
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Grass has not grown under the feet of the environmentalists who were instrumental in saving a 142-acre parcel of wilderness along Hoffler Creek.
The early participants, many of them residents of the area around the undeveloped land, convinced the city to give them a chance to preserve the area.
Recently, the growing group, now known as Hoffler Creek Wildlife Foundation Inc., received a 501(c)3 tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Now they need more donations and grants to get their proposed educational and conservation projects under way.
The land still is owned by the state of Virginia after it was used for a borrow pit during construction of the Western Freeway. However, the state has backed away from a plan to sell the land for a housing development and will give it to the city.
The area includes vast wetlands, a wooded forest and a saltwater borrow pit. It is a thriving habitat for countless species of plants and animals native to coastal Virginia. It is the only wildlife habitat in Portsmouth and is an important sanctuary for wildlife species displaced by development in the area.
It is an asset that should not be destroyed, one that will become more valuable in years to come as development covers over most of the undeveloped land in nearby suburban cities.
The citizens group moved quickly to set up an all-volunteer organization in the five months since City Hall challenged them to come up with a plan to finance their project.
Now, according to Foundation president Randi Strutton, the group is ready to raise money and to increase its numbers.
The Portsmouth group may be the only group making a proposal to the city. On the other hand, it could be overshadowed by someone else with more money and with plans that would not involve the people of Portsmouth.
If you want to see this area preserved, think of joining up - either with money or with volunteer hours. by CNB