Hands off the Old Forest

Letters to the Editor
Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Commercial Appeal
Hands off the Old Forest

Regarding Naomi Van Tol's June 1 Viewpoint column about Overton Park: I like the Memphis Zoo, too, but not at the expense of one of the oldest urban forest parks in the nation.

Zoo expansion into the 17 acres next to Rainbow Lake will threaten what's left of the old-growth forest in Overton Park. If the zoo wants to keep expanding its borders, why doesn't it find a new site out east like everyone else? How would people feel if the Shelby County Corrections Center or the Agricenter expanded further into Shelby Farms Park?

Keith Hoover
Memphis