Lynchburg, VA - The ongoing Derecho clean up in Lynchburg has gone a little too far, according to some frequent trail-goers. They say too many trees were cleared from the Percival's Island pathway, taking away from its natural beauty.
Parks & Rec say the recent clearing was in response to citizen complaints. The Parks & Rec service manager says some complained of the debris piled up on both the sides of the trail left behind from the derecho. In response, they started pushing that debris back. Now, another group says all the clearing is ruining the trail experience.
"Nature should have been allowed to take care of itself. It was doing a very good job of taking care of itself," said Jerry Tidy, Lynchburg resident.
Jerry Tidy and loves the James River Heritage Trail, but his favorite pathway is Percival's Island.
"I think it's very special," said Tidy.
On his Tuesday walk, Tidy noticed a change in scenery.
The tree cleanup also uncovered a few surprises: a railroad tie and several pockets of coal dust - remnants of Percival Island's past life as a rail yard.
Tidy called the city about his concerns.
"They were doing what they thought was right," said Andy Reeder, services manager, Parks & Rec.
Andy Reeder with Parks and Rec stopped the work immediately. He says more planning could have prevented some of these problems. He didn't realize the damage the clearing was causing, but admits it was a managerial mistake.
"Could we have done things better? Yes, we certainly could have. And we've learned some lessons from this. We appreciate the input we've gotten from citizens. We'll just take this a lesson learned and keep on moving forward," said Reeder.
Reeder plans to bring out specialists next week to assess the soil disturbance and possibly reseed.
Tidy just hopes all this clearing is not an attempt to develop the area. He'd like to see it kept at its most natural state.
