According to the head of the Forsyth County Commission here in Georgia, evidently not. As reported in this morning's Atlanta paper, a grant to study tree coverage in that county has been cut because Forsyth County Commissioner Linda Ledbetter "doesn't want to count the forest or the trees."
At her behest, the County Commission has effectively axed a $16,800 state Forestry Commission grant to assess the county's tree canopy.
Ledbetter says "'It's a no-win situation.'
(more!)
......
Ledbetter said she's against the canopy study because it could be used as an argument to stop development later. Also, the group administering the grant is tied to the Sierra Club, and she doesn't like the Sierra Club.
"I'm against it totally," Ledbetter said. "The only thing is that any time a developer comes in and develops, they cut tree canopy. It would show how much they cut. We don't need a grant to tell us that. It's a no-win situation. Plus, it's a Sierra Club program, and I'm a Republican, not a Democrat . . . Any idea would be very bad for Forsyth County if it came from the Sierra Club."
Let me tell you a bit about Forsyth county...it's a beautifully green area just north of Atlanta that's become a bedroom suburb that's faced explosive (and poorly handled) growth. Its population has risen 90 percent since 1990, growing 13 percent between 1997 and 1998 alone. Forsyth is now home to over 112,000 people, almost all of whom are white (and sheltered!).
What really gets me in this all is that environmental stewardship is regarded as a Democratic "plot." Don't Republicans want clean air, less traffic, horse farms, hiking areas, beautiful views, and bike paths as much as the rest of us do? (or is the idea to make all of the money you can off development & then move your family to an area that did protect its environment?)
Read the whole sad story here: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/0205/28canopy.html