Grove's old growth survives tourism
The awesome old trees of Cathedral Grove have survived already
enormous damage from decades of proximate logging and road-building,
as well as traffic and some past tourism inattentive to footprint
impact. Ask anyone who knew the park before logging on the adjacent
slopes caused massive increase in water runoff, stream overflow
and openness to blowdown. Many local people have photos of the
park as it used to be in the '60s, '70s, and before, which would
make interesting comparison with the present.
How many trees would survive the building and use of an adequate
adjacent parking lot? Does anyone know? Do we want to find out?
Temporary closure of the park sounds like a good idea. Government
anxious for tourist dollars would gain time to nurture its cash
cow, learn about the park by consulting with many longtimers,
and raise money for a lot already logged, at a distance from
the old growth, the stream and the wildlife corridor.
Alice Antonelli
Bowser
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