THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF FEBRUARY 11, 2007
Saving Wildlife In Wrong Path A Must
By DEBBY RUBENSTEIN
Wagner Farm Rescue Fund (WFRF) and Have A Heart Farm (HAHF) President Debby Rubenstein notes:
The legendary Jerry Garcia of the music group The Grateful Dead said "once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
One of the strange places where light can currently be found in Glenview is in the Liberty Lane pond redevelopment issue. While numerous negative issues about this redevelopment have ensued, there is also the opportunity to make something positive from a situation that many have deemed to be totally negative.
A property at Liberty Lane and Glenview Road is scheduled to be redeveloped, and a pond that is on the property is scheduled to be destroyed. It has been publicly noted that the pond is man-made, and therefore there are no legal issues involved in the destruction of the pond.
Numerous issues have been raised in the public discussion of this issue. It has been noted that the wildlife that is drawn to this pond will now have to move on. It has also been noted that the park district declined to purchase this property and save the pond, and it has been noted that the Village municipal government has already made their determinations that do not support the saving of this pond.
However, in all of the discussions one outstanding issue does not appear to have been publicly discussed.
That issue is the one of all of the wildlife that may still be inhabiting the pond and do not have the mobility to relocate themselves as the migratory birds do, and what will become of them when the pond is drained and bulldozed. While these fish and frogs have been mentioned, attention has not been turned towards their impending destruction and what can be done to avoid it.
While the other issues that have been raised in regard to this pond are valid, it appears that the issue of whether the property is going to be redeveloped without inclusion of the pond is now a moot point.
It is imperative that people now turn their time and energy to addressing the issue of determining what wildlife are still in the pond, or what animals may begin to inhabit the pond as we get closer to warmer weather. There is also the need of determining how and where to relocate these animals that would be destroyed if they are not relocated.
This situation does not have to be a win-lose proposition. While proponents of saving the pond will lament its demise, the relocation of the animals that are already there is a productive and kind-hearted way of addressing the issue in another manner. While this does not eliminate the validity of the other pond issues that have been brought to public attention, let us not make a bad situation worse by not addressing an issue that we may be able to do something about.
Let us explore this with the cooperation of all of the parties involved - citizens, the developer, and the Village government, and work together on a mission of peace and good will that would save the lives of living beings who do not have any say over their own fate. The creation of this pond to begin with was essentially an invitation to these animals to inhabit it. If they are now being told to leave, let us make their removal a humane one that spares their lives.
Turning our attention to the issue in this way would ultimately make some aspect of this redevelopment a win-win situation for those involved if they focus on looking at the situation in such a way.
For those who would view saving the animals already in the pond as a singular and therefore hollow victory, the animals whose lives would be saved would undoubtedly have a more grateful perspective in the saving of their lives.
I have already begun the process by reaching out to those who have the authority and the knowledge to address this situation in a humane manner. I have also been informed by a licensed animal welfare agency that they are willing to visit the pond and determine the best means of relocating these animals.
Those who are interested in exploring this further in order to provide a humane outcome for the animals who may already be directly at risk can contact me at 847-772-6993 or at WagnerFarmRescue@aol.com.
Please visit WFRF online at http://www.wagnerfarmrescuefund.org.
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Wagner Farm Rescue Fund and Have A Heart Farm welcome support from individuals, corporations, and foundations to maintain their ongoing efforts to promote humane treatment, good living conditions and lifetime care for Wagner Farm animals and other animals in need.
If you would like to donate to the Rescue Fund or Have A Heart Farm, please do so by making checks payable to either organization and mail to:
P.O. Box 2815
Glenview, IL 60025