Roanoke Group Sierra
Club
Resolution on Wasena Park Dam and Roanoke Flood Control
Project
Whereas the Sierra Club is dedicated to the
protection and preservation of natural plant and animal communities and
to the protection and restoration of free-flowing rivers,
and
Whereas the Sierra Club supports, promotes and sponsors
environmentally appropriate recreational use of natural resources,
and
Whereas the dam located on the Roanoke River at Wasena
Park in the City of Roanoke has detrimental effects on aquatic life, in
particular by isolating populations of the endangered Roanoke logperch,
and
Whereas, said dam is an obstacle to the recreational
use of this section of the Roanoke River by canoeists and other boaters
and may pose a public hazard, and
Whereas, the removal of
said dam is supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of
the Roanoke River, and the Float Fishermen of Virginia, and
Whereas, the removal of mature trees and other vegetation
from the banks of the Roanoke River is destructive of the plant
community and wildlife habitats, and
Whereas, the removal
of mature trees near the river may impact aquatic wildlife by virtue of
increased water temperatures, and
Whereas, the flood
control project underway on the Roanoke River will do little to protect
the community from major flooding such as that which occurred in 1985,
and
Whereas, more environmentally sensitive alternatives
exist to protect the community from moderate flooding such as
flood-proofing of existing establishments in the area of potential
flooding and restrictions or limitations on upstream development that
tends to exacerbate downstream flooding, and
Be it resolved
that the Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club supports the removal of the
dam at Wasena park, and urges the responsible government(s) and public
agency(ies) to collaborate to expedite its removal, and
Be
it further resolved that the Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club opposes
the removal of naturally occurring vegetation along the Roanoke River in
the name of flood control and urges the responsible government(s) and
public agency(ies) to find more environmentally responsible methods for
minimizing the impact on the community from flooding on the Roanoke
River.
Passed unanimously by the Executive
Committee
11-1-2007
Mark McClain, Chair
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