As we are running out of time to save our Planet, it is easy to see that Theodor Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, was ahead of his time over five decades ago when he wrote The Lorax; the classic story of a person’s responsibilities to the environment. It was his favorite book of those he had written and he had said that it “is about people who raise hell in the environment and leave nothing behind.” Is that what the board of directors of Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick are doing? Maybe not leaving “nothing behind,” but surely they could be more responsible to Clarence Schock’s wishes to leave the land “IN TRUST forever as a playground and a public park.” And not use a loose interpretation of a passage in the deed that the trustee uses to justify harvesting thousands of trees from the Governor Dick playground: “The trustee shall have the right to make, amend, alter, and repeal regulations for the administration control and public use of the trust property.” Devastation of the natural environment of Governor Dick is the exact opposite of Mr. Schock’s wishes.
Friends of Governor Dick is a group of concerned residents who are working to hold the board of directors (Lebanon County Commissioners) accountable for the ongoing maintenance of the forest and woodland areas of Governor Dick Park. We need your help to educate us and the greater community on what the past harvests of the natural resources of Governor Dick Park have done to the health of the park—what was done right, what was done wrong—so that we can thank them if they are being good stewards or hold them accountable to Clarence Schock’s wishes if they are being poor stewards of the land. The end goal is to educate the board in how sustainable forest management can be a WIN for all and to also carry out their responsibilities as Mr. Schock had intended.
We need to fully understand the current management plan to determine if the proposed work will result in a healthier park and revisit previous harvest sites to determine if proper regeneration of native plants is occurring.
Help us work with the board of trustees to honor Clarence Schock’s wishes…
“The portion thereof which is now forest or woodland shall be maintained and preserved forever as forest and woodland and where possible additional portions shall be planted as forest and woodland.”