PROTECT GEAUGA PARKS MEMBERS CONCERNED CITIZENS

I am not a member of the group Protect Geauga Parks. However, while I certainly do not know all of them, there are a number of individuals in the group whom I have known for 20 or 30 years. They are good people and good citizens: usually the first to volunteer in our schools, in our churches and for our most time-consuming community projects.

They are the hikers I pass on our beautiful park trails, the people I find myself sitting behind at naturalist programs and the faces I recognize from park board meetings during my time as a park board commissioner.

These people are not disruptive and they are not “dangerous,” as has been intimated by some quotes in newspaper articles. I do not always agree with them, but I have found them to be unfailingly respectful of my point of view.

By and large, they are well-informed taxpaying citizens who are merely worried about the future of Geauga’s precious natural resources; they are frustrated at being denied their freedom of speech by an administration and park board commissioners who often appear far less informed and much less concerned with the fragility of our environment.

I do not like seeing Protect Geauga Parks members maligned nor having antagonistic motives attributed to them where none exist. Many of them have been the most ardent supporters of the Geauga Park District since its inception, instilling in their children and grandchildren a true dedication to preserving and protecting our natural treasures.

Nicholas E. Fischbach
Burton Village