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Pat Sziber June 14, 2008 |
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I think it is safe to say that the Pole Farm is what it is today due, in no small measure, to the persistence of Eileen Katz.
This place has been known to birders and other seekers of quiet places to contemplate nature for many years. Imagine the outrage when an out-of-state developer known as Hopelawe Properties Limited Partnership proposed in 1991 to build a gated golf course development of mega-mansions on this very spot. It didn’t take long for our two townships to shoot it down.
Shortly after that victory, Mercer County expressed an interest in purchasing the 812-acre AT&T property using its own Open Space Fund to add on to Rosedale Park, Curlis Lake Woods and Had-A-Farm to create Mercer County Park NorthWest. In 1993, the County Planning Office invited Washington Crossing Audubon to conduct a survey of the flora and fauna of the Pole Farm. We did that, over the course of a year (1998) and, in 1999, published the report, A Biological Survey of the “Pole Farm.” Eileen was a faithful volunteer throughout the survey. Her unabashed enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all. Every discovery was, to her, a thrill. Every plant, every animal—whether common or rare—was an object of her admiration. She bubbled up with fresh delight over a wildflower or beetle no matter how many times she’d seen it before. But she was especially devoted to the birds, particularly the grassland birds for which the Pole Farm has become famous.
So, you can imagine Eileen’s reaction when a consultant commissioned by the County produced a concept plan calling for a complex of playing fields and a golf course on the very land that provided habitat for grassland birds. She made it her mission to convince them otherwise and probably attended more Park Commission meetings than most of the Park Commissioners. She almost always spoke at those meetings, but never in a rancorous or accusing way but, rather, she let her passion for the Pole Farm and its birds pour from her heart and, in the end, win the case for protecting the habitat. We have to remember that the pressure from the sports community for creating playing fields was tremendous. And this petite, soft-spoken woman had the courage to stand them down.
About 3 ½ years ago, Eileen single-handedly wrote the nomination of the Pole Farm as an Important Bird Area. I think the review committee had no problem approving it. This is now an IBA, based on the endangered, threatened and special concern species as well as the assemblage of Regional Responsibility Species. She would have been thrilled at the show put on by the owls this past winter.
We continue to have some concerns about protection of the habitat here: the model airplane field, the location of the parking lot off Federal City Road proposed in the 2006 Master Plan. It isn’t perfect, but it is so much better than it might have been. This place is Eileen’s legacy. And, as sure as we are standing here, I believe she is standing among us. Eileen, have a seat on your very own bench. You’ve earned it.
Eileen Katz' Family and Friends
