One of my favorite places to hike off of Bakerton Road, is Lower Bolivar Heights. It was the sight of many battles during the Civil War.

According to a National Park Service employee, the Department of Natural Resources made the decision to mow down all of the meadow grasses covering the fields around Lower Bolivar Heights. I was told the reason for this decision, was to make the area appear as it did during the battles held there, during the Civil War. Hmm. Did they have lawn mowers back then, to create such a stage?

Seriously folks, the wildlife that I would see as I walked along that area in the past is now gone. White-tailed deer could previously be seen with their young, feeding with ideal camouflage and protection from predators. Red-winged blackbirds used to settle into the fields’ tall grasses, to build nests and raise their young. The fields were once full of milkweed, helping the monarch butterflies to thrive and complete their cycle of life.

The National Parks across the nation belong to the people. There are plenty of other examples of that bloody war that took place so long ago. We know this awesome planet is suffering under human’s destructive behavior. So, let’s leave Mother Nature alone, to do what no human can surpass.

Carol Wood, of Harpers Ferry