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Letter: Preserve spaces in Ridgefield

By Byron Brink, RIDGEFIELD
Published: February 21, 2017, 6:00am

Ours is a special town tucked between three mountains and the Columbia River, a place where people still say hello in passing and pride themselves in having a potato as a mascot. A place where remnants of a matured agricultural era litter the landscape and where children still have the freedom to adventure, explore uncharted areas and swim in fresh waters. Our town is Ridgefield.

Unfortunately, a new species has arrived, causing Ridgefield to become the fastest-growing city in Washington, according to a 2015 report from The Columbian. Our fields are breeding new homes — “ticky-tacky” boxes on the hillside. Each development disregards the character of Ridgefield, making connections only through naturalistic names such as Heron Ridge and Ridgefield Woods. The developments impact not only the landscape, but also our schools, which are struggling to keep up with a rapidly increasing student population. As the land is disappearing, Ridgefield is losing its integrity. It’s time to act.

There is much opportunity for the old fields. They have the potential to be transformed into parks, wildlife sanctuaries, horse trails, mountain bike trails or disc golf courses. We have the potential to preserve our open spaces for Ridgefield citizens to continue to experience agricultural relics, trickling streams and hawks soaring through the sky. We have the potential to build a land trust.

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