How often have you sat under the soothing shade of the magnificent oak grove in Settlers Park (City Hall Park)? Played hide and seek amongst them? Or simply gazed at their majestic beauty? How would you feel if these rare 150 year old trees disappeared forever? According to the Hanover City Council they will. They are slated to chop them down before the Hanover Harvest Festival.
The Hanover City Council needs to ask, what do the residents of Hanover want? In my own informal survey I went door to door asking people to sign a petition supporting saving the five Oak trees at Settlers Park. It only took me approximately 3 ½ hours to get over 200 signatures. This shows that Hanover supports keeping these impressive trees. The City Council voted (without a public meeting) to remove the 5 Oak trees and did not bother to ask if Hanover citizens were willing to sacrifice their beautiful oak grove. Removing the 5 Oak trees would most likely damage the 7 surrounding oak trees.
The city council voted to build a bigger ball field where the Oak grove is. There is another sight for the ball field. We are not denying that a larger ball field is needed. We are asking the city council to collaborate with the Hanover Athletic Association to use the alternate site for the field instead of destroying the oak grove. We are asking them to listen to the citizens of Hanover and surrounding communities who use the park. This is our park too.
These 150 year old oak trees are irreplaceable. These enduring trees are a valuable legacy to future generations of Hanover. They are a symbol of Hanover citizens’ values. They provide shade, oxygen, beauty, serenity, habitat for birds and other wildlife, a natural play area for children, and a place for community to gather. We need to voice our community values.
What can you do if you want to save the trees? 1. Contact the city at hanovermn.org 2. Call the city council members who voted for this and tell them what you think (their phone numbers are on the City’s website). 3. Attend the next City Council meeting on July 5th 7PM. 4. Contact me to sign the petition and to find out more.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Gleason
Hanover Resident
P.S. Call and contact your city officials TODAY. Trees could come down next week.!!!!!!!
Hanover City Hall P: 763-497-3777
Hanovermn.org
Also, sign the Change.org petition set to be delivered the Hanover City Council.