Protect The Wild Spaces

Editor: On a cold, clear day last week, I walked every single trail in the Goose Pond forest searching for signs of wild life — not bunnies and chickadees, but joggers, dog walkers, mountain bikers and more. I paid special attention to the 19 acres near Middle Road that the open space committee hopes to protect at no cost to the town. I wanted to know how the forest serves the people of Chatham.

For two hours I tramped through the woods finding signs of dog walkers, hikers, and joggers. Down a tiny path, I came across the faint remains of a kid’s fort. It had an old chair which, like a magic carpet, took its owner on countless adventures and a tiny sign, its welcome or warning long ago made illegible by rain.

Every forest, pulls people of all ages into it. Whether we are young and bursting with energy to test our strength and dream our dreams or whether we are old and want a beautiful forest to remind

us that all is well, we need the wild.

So whether you are rooting for wildlife meaning box turtles and trees that help clean and control our drinking water or whether you support the wild life meaning what Chathamites do when they walk their dogs, build forts, or race around corners on a bike, when the time comes, please vote to keep the Goose Pond forest whole. Dreamers and daredevils, you and me, all of us need to protect the quiet, wild spaces that are left.

Susan Baur

North Falmouth