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DOES THE CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK HAVE A CLONE? PART TWO

Part one of this article concerned our Cuyahoga Valley Homeowners and Residents Association who were asked by Columbia Gorge United, whose members lived near the Columbia River area, and were trying to save their homes.

The scenic area had already been approved by congress, but the public hearing that congress probably required had been scheduled after the fact, so the public could hear about the proposed scenic area.

Sound familiar?

Cuyahoga Valley had been described as a success story that would be repeated there.

Jerry Vasbinder, a native of Ohio had heard that our park was not the success story that they had been told about from their congressmen, and he asked that someone from our area come to the public hearing, and tell the truth about what was happening here. He said he would secure us as a listed speaker, and he did that.

My wife Marilyn and I agreed to come at our own expense.

When we arrived there, we were greeted enthusiastically, and then given a tour of the area. Their painful problem seemed a carbon copy of Cuyahoga Valley. It was primarily a farming and logging area which was depressed at that time.

Logging to the loggers was like farming, and the Douglas Fir they harvested was from areas where smaller trees had already been planted.

As was the case with Cuyahoga Valley the pressure to deprive hundreds of residents of their homes came from wealthy and influential people from Seattle and Portland who wanted a playground where they would not be disturbed by others.

Please stay tuned, and you will hear about the congressional hearings in Part Three.

Marilyn and Marty Griffith