Save Donovan Park

PEORIA, IL -- Should a fourth of Donovan Park be sacrificed for a Ravinia-style pavilion?  No.

Here's what I found on a half hour walk through the park, where the pavilion and its parking lot would be built: Monarch butterflies, bees, wild flowers, hundreds of beautiful mature trees, oaks and evergreens, prairie grasses, a lovely wild feeling except for the traffic sounds from Knoxville (and what would the musicians in the park do about that?). Bees and Monarchs are facing possible extinction and desperately need habitat and nectar.

Here are some photos:

Monarchs on a wildflower. Notice the many trees in the background, and the prairie grasses.

One of many beautiful oak trees. 

This park is a piece of the wild in the middle of Peoria. It's in use all year, for hikes and cross country skiing, while providing habitat for wild creatures.  

There are plenty of venues in Peoria, now and proposed, that don't affect this beautiful, wild park.  Leave it alone, pavilion backers, and find another location for your project.

 -- Elaine Hopkins