Shanty Hollow Lake Proposed Shooting Range
I'm not sure how many local folk frequent Shanty Hollow Lake - but if you've been there recently, you already know it is a beautiful and serene place to hike, kayak, canoe and camp.
Bowling Green and WKU are exploring the possibility of building an Olympic style shooting and archery facility at Shanty Hollow Lake. This facility will have 120 indoor shooting lanes and outdoor ranges as well.
http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2007/11/21/news/news3.txt
While I'm not necessarily against the project, I am definitely against the location. Below is a copy of the email I sent to our mayor and commissioners. I urge everyone to contact their representatives if they have an opinion on this matter.
Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners!
Four years ago, there was a large meteor shower during the month of November. People in our area were able to see hundreds of shooting stars within a matter of hours.
Friends and I wanted to watch this spectacular event, and the closest place we could think of to go, where lights would not be a problem, was Shanty Hollow Lake. It was a gorgeous November night, and the stars were spectacular. We weren't the only ones who had gone there for this event.
I've read two articles about the prospect of a shooting range being built at Shanty Hollow Lake. While I'm not against the range (if those who are pushing it know what they are talking about, it sounds like a definite money-maker for BG) I am certainly against the location. Shanty Hollow Lake is one of the last few places us 'common folk' have in this area, where we can go hike, fish, canoe, kayak and even camp overnight. We can't afford a lake house or a speed boat, we can't canoe or kayak at Barren River Lake because of the speedboats, but we have Shanty Hollow Lake. We can kayak and canoe on the Barren, but we certainly can't camp along the banks. But we have Shanty Hollow Lake. There are beautiful hiking trails (there's even a waterfall), it's quiet, serene, and easily within driving distance. When other streams dried up this summer, Shanty Hollow Lake was still there.
I urge, beg, and plead that other locations be considered for this shooting range. If the lake isn't necessary for the range (which it doesn't seem to be), why not have the range on Lover's Lane? Or out by Camping World and the new Gander's Mountain, where motels already exist? Out Louisville Road where new roads, etc... are already being built? Why not somewhere close to Western?
The noise of the outdoor range will disrupt whatever serenity exists there now. The lights will brighten the night sky. The noise of the construction itself will play havoc on such a beautiful area.
Please, please look at other alternatives. Why not build where infrastructure already exists? I urge all of you to visit Shanty Hollow Lake before signing off on this location - it is a small treasure within driving distance, that will change forever if we allow development there.
Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving,Cynthia
posted by Cynthia D. Sprouse @ 8:41 AM
4 Comments:
I use the present trails at Shanty Hollow Lake, and do not want to see a shooting range built there.
Some reasons and other thoughts:
1. It is the only place open to the public in our area of Kentucky
where people can walk through the woods and see native plants and
wildlife without having to walk through a maze of invasive pest plants such as Privet, Bush Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose, Wintercreeper, Burning Bush, Russian Olive, etc. We have natural areas at Lost River
Cave and Krume Nature Park in Bowling Green, but they have been taken over by exotic pest plants. They will never be brought back to their original state, because the native plants have been crowded out.
2. It is now a quiet place to view wildlife and native plants which
some people like to view.
3. It is used by Biology, Geology, Plant Taxonomy, and Ecology
Classes to study a natural area.
4. It is now a resource that will never be brought back to its present state once the shooting range is developed. Plants from other areas of the country would be brought in to landscape the buidings, and they would cross pollinate with the native plants that are presently there.
The plants which are wildlife habitat would be forever changed. This is a treasured piece of land that is unique in Warren County.
5. Handicapped accessible bike and walking trails will destroy more
natural vegetation.
6. Crowds of people who have no appreciation for the original native plants and wildlife in the area, will not protect it as it should be.
I have hiked around Shanty a number of times and agree that a shooting range should not be built on the area. But I suppose I have a mildly digressed question about Shanty: Do any of you know if and where I could camp on the area. I know much of the surrounding area is private property. But I'm trying to attempt the Walden experiment for 48 hours and would like to do it legally at Shanty Hollow. Any information would be greatly appreciated. My apologies if this comment is too off topic.
Shanty hollow should be a wilderness area.
Does the mammoth cave chapter of the Sierra club know about this? Are you Ryan's mom? We took classes at WKU and are friends.
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