Friends of Patrick Eagan Park Thank Supporters

To the editor:

The Friends of Patrick Eagan Park would like to extend our appreciation to all our neighbors who posted "We Can Do Better--We Can Embrace Open Space" lawnsigns; the dozens of volunteers who spent hours in an Open Space Preservation workshop; as well as the Sierra Club and the McKnight Foundation for their support of the Eagan Core Greenway.

The McKnight Foundation named the Eagan Core Greenway one of the Twin Cities' "Top 10 [Natural] Treasures." The Eagan Core Greenway is a two-mile stretch of undeveloped land covering over 400 acres from O'Leary Park on the north, through the McCarthy Farm, Patrick Eagan Park, the Caponi Art Park and several smaller parks, to connect with Lebanon Hills Regional Park to the south. This open space jewel is an invaluable community resource because of its large, contiguous eco-system and wildlife corridor.

Our group started in response to an effort to turn Patrick Eagan Park into a golf course. We now work to support the vision of the three private property owners with land abutting the park. If preserved, this land will connect Patrick Eagan Park to Lebanon Hills Regional Park. A sad fact is that in Dakota County we have half as much park land per person, per visit, today as we did 20 years ago!

Saving this rare undeveloped area will truly be a great legacy for future generations. With its hidden lakes, hilly woods and rich variety of birds and other wildlife, the Eagan Core Greenway can be a true urban oasis. A place for the daily stress to melt away, a place for children to freely play, and as naturalist Sigurd Olson might say--the Eagan Core Greenway could be a place to find the silence where God speaks.

Heather Burns
David Brunet
John Ward
Eagan

www.FriendsofPatrickEaganPark.org