Dear Editor,
I am a regular reader of the College Park Here & Now and look forward to it every month. I am writing because I was disappointed in a recent article, “Neighborhood Association discusses two possible housing developments,” by Mathew Schumer. This article covered a presentation by a developer regarding two planned housing developments in an undeveloped, wooded area in North College Park.
Overall, the article quoted extensively from the developer-presenter, Mr. Tedesco. For example, Mr. Tedesco’s lengthy comments about the developer’s efforts to address traffic access were quoted. However, the article gave few specifics of residents’ concerns voiced at the same presentation, such as the potential for flooding and access to public transportation.
The article stated that Mr. Tedesco assured residents that removed trees would be replaced with new trees planted elsewhere in College Park. I was at the meeting and was not reassured. In addition, the article misleads readers into thinking that the city’s new tree ordinance applies to developers. It does not; county law does. I am concerned about the loss of College Park’s tree canopy for a development that benefits the developer at the expense of local residents and the environment. I am also concerned that the Here & Now prioritized covering developers over residents.
Sincerely,
Caroline Wick
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Dear Editor,
I’d like to thank Rick Borchelt for his recent article in the College Park Here & Now about the various phone apps for sharing nature observations.
I walk daily around town, mostly at Lake Artemesia and on the University of Maryland campus, and I’ve been taking photos of plants and animals on my walks for the past 10 years or so. Learning about the iNaturalist project (inaturalist.org/home), from Rick’s article, has really fired me up. In just the past few weeks, I’ve learned so much about plants and animals from sharing observations and commentary on the iNat website. It’s exciting.
Thanks again for pointing us to this resource and helping open my eyes to how much natural beauty surrounds us here in College Park.
Best,
Jeff Davis
