Terry Hershey Would Not Approve

Regarding "Sweet Gratitude" (Wednesday letters) and a recent Chronicle article praising Terry Hershey for her decades-long efforts to preserve  bayous and parklands in greater Houston, it's ironic that there are plans afoot to undo a portion of her legacy, and the Harris County Flood Control District is the culprit.

 

At a Commissioners Court meeting Nov. 12th, HCFCD proposed a study that would lead to the destruction of a 25 acre section of woodlands, ironically located in her namesake, Terry Hershey Park, and replace it with a flood basin.  The Commissioners Court approved the study.  This is exactly the thing that Mrs. Hershey fought against: nature forced to give way to evermore commercial development, housing projects and freeway expansion that then mandate flood control expansion that crowds out the surrounding flora and fauna. 

 

Terry Hershey Park is a model for how Houston's unique system of bayous ought to be managed, and given the recent and very well-deserved tributes to Mrs. Hershey, the good citizens of Greater Houston can honor her efforts by getting involved, not just in stopping this flood basin project, but by encouraging our politicians to plan for the preservation of our green spaces before they indiscriminately issue building permits.   

 

Pete Smith, Cypress